Framework Conditions: Institutional Aspects

Framework conditions (i.e. the existing institutional, legal and regulatory regime) largely determine how society is organised for meeting future challenges. It is therefore important to assess whether such conditions will encourage the development of the space systems that can be expected to help solve enduring socio-economic challenges. This chapter focuses on institutional aspects (i.e. who does what, and does the current situation needs to be changed?), while legal and regulatory aspects are addressed in Chapter 5. The institutional issues addressed here first include the role of space agencies, their position in the overall machinery of government, their links (if any) with the military and questions raised by the setting up of major international projects. The balance of the chapter is devoted to institutional issues raised by the operation of space applications. Each main area of application (telecommunications, Earth observation, navigation) is considered in turn as pertinent institutional solutions differ significantly across applications, notably regarding the role to be played by public and private actors.