[UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION]
ROYAL DECREE NO. 278/1995 OF 24 FEBRUARY 1995 PRIME MINISTER'S CHANCELLERY
Space Exploration. Establishment in Spain of the Registry of Objects Launched into Outer Space as provided for in the Convention adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 12 November 1974 (RCL 1979, 269 and ApNDL 8191).
Following the accession of Spain on 20 December 1978 to the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 12 November 1974 ( Official State Gazette No. 25 of 29 January 1979) (RCL 1979, 269 and ApNDL 8191), appropriate internal measures must be adopted to enable Spain to comply with the terms of that Convention, especially with regard to the establishment of a registry of objects launched into outer space and to the notifications that have to be made to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The recent placing in orbit of the Spanish Hispasat 1A and 1B satellites offers a further reason not to delay the setting up of this registry.
By virtue thereof, at the proposal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Industry and Energy, following approval by the Minister for Public Authorities, with the agreement of the Council of State and after discussion by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on 24 February 1995, I hereby order the following:
Article 1
The Spanish Registry of Objects Launched into Outer Space, hereinafter referred to as the "Spanish Registry", shall be established.
Article 2
The Spanish Registry shall be kept by the Division of Multilateral Economic Relations and Development of the Department of International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Article 3
Full and free access shall be provided to the information contained in the Spanish Registry in accordance with the provisions of article 37 of Law No. 30/1992 (RCL 1992, 2512, 2775 and RCL 1993, 246) on the Legal Regime Governing Public Authorities and Common Administrative Procedures and any regulations adopted in implementation thereof.
Article 4
The term "space object" includes component parts of a space object as well as the launch vehicle and parts thereof.
Article 5
Entries shall be made in the Spanish Registry in respect of space objects that have been launched or whose launching has been procured by the Spanish State or that have been launched from Spain or from a Spanish facility.
If, in addition to Spain, one or more States, hereinafter referred to as "launching State or States" are competent to make an entry, the procedure to be followed shall be as laid down in article II, paragraph 2, of the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space adopted on 12 November 1974.
Article 6
The registration of each space object shall contain the following information:
Any other additional information deemed useful may also be included.
Article 7
Enterprises and institutions in possession of the information referred to in the previous article shall be obliged to communicate it to the Department of Industrial Technology of the Ministry of Industry and Energy, which may, in turn, extract from it any supplementary information that it considers necessary to make the entry and the mandatory notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with the Convention.
The Department of Industrial Technology of the Ministry of Industry and Energy shall transmit any information that it receives to the Department of International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of International Economic Relations shall enter this information in the Spanish Registry and arrange for its formal notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations with a view for its inclusion in the latter�s Register.
The notifications referred to in this article shall also include any modifications to data concerning registered space objects and, in particular cases where space objects have ceased to be in Earth orbit. Such modifications shall form the subject of a prior entry in the Spanish Registry in accordance with the provisions of the preceding article.
Single additional clause
The Department of International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall arrange for the formal notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the establishment of the Spanish Registry.
Single provisional clause
The Department of International Economic Relations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs shall arrange for the entry and subsequent formal notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations of any space objects that were launched before the establishment of the Spanish Registry and of any space objects for which Spain is the launching State.
First final clause
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Industry and Energy may enact the necessary provisions for the execution and implementation of this Royal Decree.
Second final clause
By order of the Minister in charge of the Prime Minister�s Chancellery, issued at the proposal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Industry and Energy, the Spanish Registry may be kept by a body within these ministries other than that specified in article 2 of this Royal Decree.
Third final clause
This Royal Decree shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official State Gazette.