Consensus reached on draft principles on nuclear power sources.

During its 1991 session (27 May-7 June, Graz, Austria), the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space reached consensus on the text of two draft principles on the safe uses of nuclear power sources in outer space. They deal with responsibility for national activities in outer space, and liability and compensation for damage caused by space objects. The Committee's Legal Subcommittee is drawing up a set of international principles and guidelines for the use of nuclear power sources, including such issues as notification of the presence of a nuclear power source on board a space object, definition of a launching State, publication of safety assessment reports prior to launch, and guidelines and criteria for safe use of a nuclear power source in outer space.

In its report (A/46/20), the Committee urged its Subcommittee to complete the draft principles as soon as possible.

Canada and Germany proposed the text of the two draft principles. By one draft principle, States bear international responsibility for national activities involving the use of nuclear power sources in outer space, whether such activities were carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities. When outer space activities involving the use of nuclear power sources were carried out by an international organization, responsibility would be borne both by the international organization and the participating States.

The draft principle on liability and compensation states that each country which launched or procured the launching of a space object, and each State from whose territory or facility a space object was launched, would be internationally liable for damage caused by such space objects or their component parts. That also applied to objects carrying a nuclear power source on board. Two or more States jointly launching a space object would be jointly and severally liable for damage. Compensation would include reimbursement of expenses for search, recovery and clean-up operations.

A 'rational necessity'

Austrian Foreign Minister Alois Mock told the Committee that cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, once considered a moral and political postulate, had become a rational necessity. Times of confrontation in outer space, partly due to recent changes in the world political situation, belonged to the past. National narrowness should be replaced with global generosity, and confrontation with cooperation.

Vasiliy S. Safronchuk, UnderSecretary-General for Political and Security Council Affairs, said the potential benefits of space activities had not been fully realized for all countries. The exchange, of scientific and technical information should be facilitated and technical assistance to developing countries expanded.

Peter Hohenfellner of Austria this year replaced Committee Chairman Peter Jankowitsch, also of Austria, who had served as Chairman for 20 years.

Other issues

The 53-member Outer Space Committee also considered the following subjects:

* The 1992 International Space Year (ISY): Agreeing that a good way to broaden and deepen international cooperation in outer space was through international and regional programmes such as the Year, the Committee noted that the UN programme of activities for the Year would focus primarily on the use of space technology for studying and monitoring the global environment.

* Remote sensing: The Committee recognized the importance of continuing international efforts to ensure the continuity, compatibility and complementarity of systems for remote sensing of the Earth and to promote cooperation through regular meetings between satellite operators, ground station operators and users. It urged the continuance of free distribution of meteorological information.

* Spin-off benefits: The Committee wanted to strengthen international cooperation in the field of spin-off benefits of space technology through improved access to spinoffs that could address the social and economic needs of developing countries. Spin-offs of space technology were yielding substantial benefits in many fields, it noted, and had provided new medical techniques, including those dealing with dry heat sterilization, artificial bone matrix and artificial veins and arteries. Spin-off applications in industry related to quality control systems, dry lubricants, precision machining techniques and consumer electronics.

* Space debris: Highlighting the increasing problem of space debris and pollution in outer space, the Committee endorsed the recommendation of its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee that further studies be conducted on the problem of collision of nuclear power sources with space debris.

* Geostationary orbit: The geostationary orbit-located approximately 22,300 miles above the Equator-is the only orbit capable of providing continuous contact with ground stations via a single satellite. Only a limited number of satellites can use the geostationary orbit because of the problem of radio frequency interference among satellites operating too closely to one another. There is concern that the geostationary orbit could become congested in the near future.

* UN Programme on Space Applications: The Committee welcomed the activities undertaken by the Programme in education and training-workshops, training courses, seminars and meetings of experts-and expressed its appreciation to the Governments which had renewed their offers for short- and long-range fellowships. Several members of the Committee again expressed grave concern about the limited financial resources available for the Programme and appealed to Member States to support the Programme through voluntary contributions.

The 1992 theme for the Scientific and Technical Sub-Committee is to be: "Space technology and the protection of the Earth's environment: development of endogenous capabilities, in particular in the developing countries and in the context of the International Space Year".

Poland asked that a report on the preservation and protection of the outer space environment, especially activities potentially affecting the Earth environment, be prepared.

Space science

workshop held

A workshop on basic space science for the benefit of developing countries was held at the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organization in Bangalore, India, from 30 April to 3 May. Organized by the UN Outer Space Affairs Division in cooperation with the European Space Agency, it was hosted by the Indian Government.

The workshop's programme covered basic space science and development; international cooperation in basic space science; science of the Earth's environment, its atmosphere and space plasma processes; solar system science and planetary exploration; and space astronomy and astrophysics. Participants in the workshop came from Afghanistan, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Nigeria, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand.