Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
Parties
Signatories
Non-parties
Signed
27 January 1967
Location
London, Moscow and Washington, D.C.
Effective
10 October 1967; 56 years ago (1967-10-10)
Condition
5 ratifications, including the depositary Governments
Parties
115[1][2][3][4]
Depositary
Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America
Languages
English, French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic
Full text
Outer Space Treaty of 1967 at Wikisource
The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a multilateral treaty that forms the basis of international space law. Negotiated and drafted under the auspices of the United Nations, it was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on 27 January 1967, entering into force on 10 October 1967. As of March 2024[update], 115 countries are parties to the treaty—including all major spacefaring nations—and another 22 are signatories.[1][5][6]
The Outer Space Treaty was spurred by the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in the 1950s, which could reach targets through outer space.[7] The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, in October 1957, followed by a subsequent arms race with the United States, hastened proposals to prohibit the use of outer space for military purposes. On 17 October 1963, the U.N. General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution prohibiting the introduction of weapons of mass destruction in outer space. Various proposals for an arms control treaty governing outer space were debated during a General Assembly session in December 1966, culminating in the drafting and adoption of the Outer Space Treaty the following January.[7]
Key provisions of the Outer Space Treaty include prohibiting nuclear weapons in space; limiting the use of the Moon and all other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes; establishing that space shall be freely explored and used by all nations; and precluding any country from claiming sovereignty over outer space or any celestial body. Although it forbids establishing military bases, testing weapons and conducting military maneuvers on celestial bodies, the treaty does not expressly ban all military activities in space, nor the establishment of military space forces or the placement of conventional weapons in space.[8][9]
From 1968 to 1984, the OST gave birth to four additional agreements: rules for activities on the Moon; liability for damages caused by spacecraft; the safe return of fallen astronauts; and the registration of space vehicles.[10]
OST provided many practical uses and was the most important link in the chain of international legal arrangements for space from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. OST was at the heart of a 'network' of inter-state treaties and strategic power negotiations to achieve the best available conditions for nuclear weapons world security. The OST also declares that space is an area for free use and exploration by all and "shall be the province of all mankind". Drawing heavily from the Antarctic Treaty of 1961, the Outer Space Treaty likewise focuses on regulating certain activities and preventing unrestricted competition that could lead to conflict.[7] Consequently, it is largely silent or ambiguous on newly developed space activities such as lunar and asteroid mining.[11][12][13] Nevertheless, the Outer Space Treaty is the first and most foundational legal instrument of space law,[14] and its broader principles of promoting the civil and peaceful use of space continue to underpin multilateral initiatives in space, such as the International Space Station and the Artemis Program.[15][16]
^ ab"Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies". United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
^Cite error: The named reference UK was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference US was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference RU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference unodacn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^In addition, the Republic of China in Taiwan, which is currently recognized by 11 UN member states, ratified the treaty prior to the United Nations General Assembly's vote to transfer China's seat to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1971.
^ abc"Outer Space Treaty". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^Shakouri Hassanabadi, Babak (30 July 2018). "Space Force and international space law". The Space Review. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
^Irish, Adam (13 September 2018). "The Legality of a U.S. Space Force". OpinioJuris. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
^Buono, Stephen (2 April 2020). "Merely a 'Scrap of Paper'? The Outer Space Treaty in Historical Perspective". Diplomacy and Statecraft. 31 (2): 350-372. doi:10.1080/09592296.2020.1760038. S2CID 221060714.
^If space is ‘the province of mankind’, who owns its resources? Senjuti Mallick and Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan. The Observer Research Foundation. 24 January 2019. Quote 1: "The Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967, considered the global foundation of the outer space legal regime, […] has been insufficient and ambiguous in providing clear regulations to newer space activities such as asteroid mining." *Quote2: "Although the OST does not explicitly mention "mining" activities, under Article II, outer space including the Moon and other celestial bodies are "not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty" through use, occupation or any other means."
^Szoka, Berin; Dunstan, James (1 May 2012). "Law: Is Asteroid Mining Illegal?". Wired. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014.
^Who Owns Space? US Asteroid-Mining Act Is Dangerous And Potentially Illegal. IFL. Accessed on 9 November 2019. Quote 1: "The act represents a full-frontal attack on settled principles of space law which are based on two basic principles: the right of states to scientific exploration of outer space and its celestial bodies and the prevention of unilateral and unbriddled commercial exploitation of outer-space resources. These principles are found in agreements including the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and the Moon Agreement of 1979." *Quote 2: "Understanding the legality of asteroid mining starts with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Some might argue the treaty bans all space property rights, citing Article II."
^"Space Law". www.unoosa.org. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^"International Space Station legal framework". www.esa.int. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^"NASA: Artemis Accords". NASA. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
and 28 Related for: Outer Space Treaty information
The OuterSpaceTreaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of OuterSpace, including the Moon...
(62 mi) above sea level, is conventionally used as the start of outerspace in spacetreaties and for aerospace records keeping. Certain portions of the upper...
militarisation of space involves the placement and development of weaponry and military technology in outerspace. The early exploration of space in the mid-20th...
The politics of outerspace includes spacetreaties, law in space, international cooperation and conflict in space exploration, international economics...
its creation on December 18, 1979. It was noted that since the 1967 OuterSpaceTreaty was signed, technologies and society evolved, requiring a redefinition...
of outerspace, both for civilian (scientific and commercial) and military purposes. International treaties, such as the 1967 OuterSpaceTreaty, attempt...
by Space Objects, also known as the Space Liability Convention, is a treaty from 1972 that expands on the liability rules created in the OuterSpace Treaty...
for OuterSpace Affairs (UNOOSA) is an office of the U.N. Secretariat that promotes and facilitates peaceful international cooperation in outerspace. It...
international treaty is the OuterSpaceTreaty of 1967; it is generally viewed as the "Constitution" for outerspace. By ratifying the OuterSpaceTreaty of 1967...
Space colonization (also called space settlement or extraterrestrial colonization) is the use of outerspace or celestial bodies other than Earth for permanent...
the 1967 OuterSpaceTreaty. Despite containing more specificity and detail than the rescue provision in Article V of the OuterSpaceTreaty, the Rescue...
Moon Treaty. The OuterSpaceTreaty established the basic ramifications for space activity in article one: "The exploration and use of outerspace, including...
international space law to sustainability in space can be found in the OuterSpaceTreaty, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1963. The OuterSpace Treaty...
International aspects of US space policy may involve diplomatic negotiation with other countries, such as the 1967 OuterSpaceTreaty. In these cases, the President...
space tourism. Under the OuterSpaceTreaty of 1967, while space and celestial bodies cannot be appropriated by nations, objects launched into space and...
force of the OuterSpaceTreaty and the SALT II treaty. These agreements prohibit weapons of mass destruction from being placed in space. As other weapons...
an Arms Race in OuterSpace document is a 1981 UN resolution that reaffirms the fundamental principles of the 1967 OuterSpaceTreaty and advocates for...
The Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), formally known as the 1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in OuterSpace and Under Water, prohibited...
Nations OuterSpaceTreaty of 1967, which signatories are obliged to uphold, and cite most major U.N.-brokered conventions constituting space law. The...
of the OuterSpaceTreaty. States Parties to the OuterSpaceTreaty are responsible for national space activities under Article VI of this Treaty, including...
the OuterSpaceTreaty of 1967 based upon guidelines from experience in the Antarctic. Another source of ideas is the Law of the Sea. The OuterSpace Treaty...
II agreement (see OuterSpaceTreaty and SALT II). Article IV of the OuterSpaceTreaty of 1967 stated that: Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place...
OuterSpaceTreaty, but they did not receive wider international support or recognition. Subsequently, they were largely abandoned. The OuterSpace Treaty...
access into outerspace, operations in outerspace and return from outerspace to Earth free from physical or radio-frequency interference." Space traffic...
principle is anchored in the UN OuterSpaceTreaty, which was established in 1967 and has since been signed and ratified by all space-faring nations. The precautionary...