Space Law & Treaties

A set of principles for cooperative, peaceful, and transparent exploration of the Moon and beyond, established in 2020 and led by NASA, and signed by a growing number of nations. They interpret the Outer Space Treaty for a new era of lunar activity, including the use of space resources.

A 1972 convention that elaborates the Outer Space Treaty's liability principle: a launching state is absolutely liable for damage its space objects cause on the Earth's surface or to aircraft, and liable for fault for damage caused in space.

A 1979 agreement declaring the Moon and its natural resources the common heritage of mankind and calling for an international regime to govern their exploitation. It has been ratified by only a handful of states, none of them major spacefaring powers, which limits its force.

The founding treaty of international space law, opened for signature in 1967. It declares space free for exploration and use by all nations, forbids any state from claiming sovereignty over the Moon or other bodies, bans weapons of mass destruction in orbit, and makes states responsible for their national space activities — governmental or private.

A 1975 convention, in force from 1976, requiring states to register the objects they launch into space with the United Nations, so that space objects can be identified — the basis of the UN register of space objects that UNOOSA maintains.