Cassini Space Probe (Hansard, 31 March 1999)

§ Mr. Fitzpatrick
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made by the British Government to the European Space Agency about the environmental risks of the Cassini space probe; and when such representations were made. [77935]

§ Mr. Battle
The British Government have been in close contact with the European Space Agency in both the preparation and elaboration of the Cassini-Huygens mission and have discussed all aspects of the mission with ESA on a number of occasions.

§ Mr. Fitzpatrick
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the British Government have obtained a copy of the European Space Agency's evaluation of the Cassini space probe. [77936]

§ Mr. Battle
The Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and its moon Titan is a collaborative programme between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Within this collaboration, NASA was responsible for developing820W the Cassini spacecraft. NASA commissioned two independent safety assessments and has produced a document summarising the findings which is available on the internet.
ESA was responsible for developing the Huygens space probe. Senior ESA Directors attended major NASA programme reviews during the development of Cassini and reported to member states on major milestones. These reports were given orally during the course of the Agency's normal programme board meetings.

§ Mr. Fitzpatrick
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made by the British Government to the Government of the United States about the environment risks of NASA's Cassini space probe; and when such representations were made. [77933]

§ Mr. Battle
The BNSC has examined the two independent environmental impact statements commissioned by NASA prior to the launch of the Cassini-Huygens mission. Both of these endorsed the use of plutonium on the mission. In addition, under US law, NSA has a duty to minimise the risks associated with its work, as well as a responsibility to conform to the United Nations Principles on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space (1992), an initiative in which the UK took a leading role.