Foreword
As a strategic, high-tech sector, space has long been a domain reserved for public authorities. In line with the international trend, the French space sector has for the past decade been faced with the emergence of the “NewSpace” phenomenon, which has led to major transformations, particularly as a result of the emergence of new space players and new opportunities for innovation. This change calls for greater vigilance over the use and exploitation of space.
In this context, space congestion is becoming a major concern, as the growing amount of debris and the proliferation of space players directly threaten the safety of space operations and the sustainability of space.
This threat manifests itself through a risk that has two correlated dimensions:
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- A short-term risk (Safety) associated with the operations of numerous satellites in limited orbital neighbourhoods, which therefore require coordination.
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- A longer-term risk (Sustainability) due to the uninterrupted growth of space debris, mainly as a result of limited compliance with practices aimed at limiting the amount of debris created, and which could affect all space activity.
The French Space Operations Act
In order to comply with international treaties (in particular the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects), France adopted the Space Operations Act (FSOA) on 3 June 2008, which came into force on 10 December 2010. This law defines the framework used by the French government to authorise and supervise space operations under its responsibility. The aim of the FSOA is to maintain the uses of Outer Space despite the exponential increase in the number of objects in orbit, in particular state and scientific uses that are essential for the preservation of the Earth and its inhabitants.
The FSOA makes it possible to regulate, without excessively restricting, space operations conducted by French operators/entities or by any operator, whatever its nationality, from French territory, so as to ensure the sustainable development of space activity in France, while guaranteeing the safety of people and property, and the protection of public health and the environment. It also ensures that these space activities do not compromise national defence interests and that they comply with France’s international commitments. Lastly, it supports New Space initiatives by providing them with a clear and stable regulatory framework, which is essential for the sustainability of their activities.
This law and its associated technical regulations now form part of the reference framework at European and international level.
The Technical Regulations (RT – Réglementation Technique) associated with the FSOA are part of a set of requirements, best practices and standards issued over the past 20 years and beyond by the international community to limit the debris footprint of new space systems.
Within the French Space Agency (CNES), the mission of the Space Safety Office is to ensure the continuity and safety of space operations.
