TREATY SERIES 1968 Nº 7 Treaty on Principles Governing the

TREATY SERIES 1968

Nº 7

Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States

in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including

the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies

Done at London, Moscow and Washington on 27 January 1967

Signed on behalf of Ireland on 27 January 1967

Entered into force on 10 October 1967

Ireland’s Instrument of Ratification deposited with the

Government of the United Kingdom

on 19 July 1968

Entered into force with respect to Ireland

on 19 July 1968

Presented to Dáil Éireann by the Minister for External Affairs

TREATY ON PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF STATES

IN THE EXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTER SPACE, INCLUDING

THE MOON AND OTHER CELESTIAL BODIES

The States Parties to this Treaty,

Inspired

by the great prospects opening up before mankind as a result of

man's entry into outer space,

Recognizing

the common interest of all mankind in the progress of the

exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes,

Believing

that the exploration and use of outer space should be carried on

for the benefit of all peoples irrespective of the degree of their economic or

scientific development,

Desiring

to contribute to broad international co-operation in the scientific

as well as the legal aspects of the exploration and use of outer space for

peaceful purposes,

Believing

that such co-operation will contribute to the development of

mutual understanding and to the strengthening of friendly relations

between States and peoples,

Recalling

resolution 1962 (XVIII), entitled “Declaration of Legal Principles

Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer

Space”, which was adopted unanimously by the United Nations General

Assembly on 13 December 1963,

Recalling

resolution 1884 (XVIII), calling upon States to refrain from

placing in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or

any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction or from installing such

weapons on celestial bodies, which was adopted unanimously by the

United Nations General Assembly on 17 October 1963,

Taking account

of United Nations General Assembly resolution 110 (II) of

3 November 1947, which condemned propaganda designed or likely to

provoke or encourage any threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of

aggression, and considering that the aforementioned resolution is

applicable to outer space,

Convinced

that a Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in

the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other

Celestial Bodies, will further the purposes and principles of the Charter of

the United Nations,

HAVE AGREED on the following:

Irish Treaty Series Nº 7 of 1968

Article I

The exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other

celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of

all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific

development, and shall be the province of all mankind.

Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free

for exploration and use by all States without discrimination of any kind,

on a basis of equality and in accordance with international law, and there

shall be free access to all areas of celestial bodies.

There shall be freedom of scientific investigation in outer space, including

the moon and other celestial bodies, and States shall facilitate and

encourage international co-operation in such investigation.

Article II

Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject

to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or

occupation, or by any other means.

Article III

States Parties to the Treaty shall carry on activities in the exploration and

use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, in

accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United

Nations, in the interest of maintaining international peace and security

and promoting international co-operation and understanding.

Article IV

States Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place in orbit around the

earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons

of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station

such weapons in outer space in any other manner.

The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to

the Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of

military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of

weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on celestial bodies shall

be forbidden. The use of military personnel for scientific research or for

any other peaceful purposes shall not be prohibited. The use of any

equipment or facility necessary for peaceful exploration of the moon and

other celestial bodies shall also not be prohibited.

Irish Treaty Series Nº 7 of 1968

Article V

States Parties to the Treaty shall regard astronauts as envoys of mankind

in outer space and shall render to them all possible assistance in the event

of accident, distress, or emergency landing on the territory of another

State Party or on the high seas. When astronauts make such a landing,

they shall be safely and promptly returned to the State of registry of their

space vehicle.

In carrying on activities in outer space and on celestial bodies, the

astronauts of one State Party shall render all possible assistance to the

astronauts of other States Parties.

States Parties to the Treaty shall immediately inform the other States

Parties to the Treaty or the Secretary-General of the United Nations of

any phenomena they discover in outer space, including the moon and other

celestial bodies, which could constitute a danger to the life or health of

astronauts.

Article VI

States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for

national activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial

bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or

by non-governmental entities, and for assuring that national activities are

carried out in conformity with the provisions set forth in the present

Treaty. The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space,

including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization

and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty.

When activities are carried on in outer space, including the moon and

other celestial bodies, by an international organization, responsibility for

compliance with this Treaty shall be borne both by the international

organization and by the States Parties to the Treaty participating in such

organization.

Article VII

Each State Party to the Treaty that launches or procures the launching of

an object into outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies,

and each State Party from whose territory or facility an object is launched,

is internationally liable for damage to another State Party to the Treaty or

to its natural or juridical persons by such object or its component parts on

the Earth, in air or in outer space, including the moon and other celestial

bodies.

Irish Treaty Series Nº 7 of 1968

Article VIII

A State Party to the Treaty on whose registry an object launched into

outer space is carried shall retain jurisdiction and control over such object,

and over any personnel thereof, while in outer space or on a celestial body.

Ownership of objects launched into outer space, including objects landed

or constructed on a celestial body, and of their component parts, is not

affected by their presence in outer space or on a celestial body or by their

return to the Earth. Such objects or component parts found beyond the

limits of the State Party to the Treaty on whose registry they are carried

shall be returned to that State Party, which shall, upon request, furnish

identifying data prior to their return.

Article IX

In the exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other

celestial bodies, States Parties to the Treaty shall be guided by the

principle of co-operation and mutual assistance and shall conduct all their

activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies,

with due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties

to the Treaty. States Parties to the Treaty shall pursue studies of outer

space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, and conduct

exploration of them so as to avoid their harmful contamination and also

adverse changes in the environment of the Earth resulting from the

introduction of extraterrestrial matter and, where necessary, shall adopt

appropriate measures for this purpose. If a State Party to the Treaty has

reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by it or its

nationals in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies,

would cause potentially harmful interference with activities of other

States Parties in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including

the moon and other celestial bodies, it shall undertake appropriate

international consultations before proceeding with any such activity or

experiment. A State Party to the Treaty which has reason to believe that

an activity or experiment planned by another State Party in outer space,

including the moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially

harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of

outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, may request

consultation concerning the activity or experiment.

Article X

In order to promote international co-operation in the exploration and use

of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, in conformity

with the purposes of this Treaty, the States Parties to the Treaty shall

consider on a basis of equality any requests by other States Parties to the

Treaty to be afforded an opportunity to observe the flight of space objects

launched by those States. The nature of such an opportunity for

Irish Treaty Series Nº 7 of 1968

observation and the conditions under which it could be afforded shall be

determined by agreement between the States concerned.

Article XI

In order to promote international co-operation in the peaceful exploration

and use of outer space, States Parties to the Treaty conducting activities

in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, agree to

inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations as well as the public

and the international scientific community, to the greatest extent feasible

and practicable, of the nature, conduct, locations and results of such

activities. On receiving the said information, the Secretary-General of the

United Nations should be prepared to disseminate it immediately and

effectively.

Article XII

All stations, installations, equipment and space vehicles on the moon and

other celestial bodies shall be open to representatives of other States

Parties to the Treaty on a basis of reciprocity. Such representatives shall

give reasonable advance notice of a projected visit, in order that

appropriate consultations may be held and that maximum precautions

may betaken to assure safety and to avoid interference with normal

operations in the facility to be visited.

Article XIII

The provisions of this Treaty shall apply to the activities of States Parties

to the Treaty in the exploration and use of outer space, including the moon

and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by a

single State Party to the Treaty or jointly with other States, including

cases where they are carried on within the framework of international

intergovernmental organizations.

Any practical questions arising in connection with activities carried on by

international intergovernmental organizations in the exploration and use

of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be

resolved by the States Parties to the Treaty either with the appropriate

international organization or with one or more States members of that

international organization, which are Parties to this Treaty.

Article XIV

1. This Treaty shall be open to all States for signature. Any State

which does not sign this Treaty before its entry into force in accordance

with paragraph 3 of this article may accede to it at anytime.

Irish Treaty Series Nº 7 of 1968

2. This Treaty shall be subject to ratification by signatory States.

Instruments of ratification and instruments of accession shall be deposited

with the Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United

States of America, which are hereby designated the Depositary

Governments.

3. This Treaty shall enter into force upon the deposit of instruments of

ratification by five Governments including the Governments designated as

Depositary Governments under this Treaty.

4. For States whose instruments of ratification or accession are

deposited subsequent to the entry into force of this Treaty, it shall enter

into force on the date of the deposit of their instruments of ratification or

accession.

5. The Depositary Governments shall promptly inform all signatory

and acceding States of the date of each signature, the date of deposit of

each instrument of ratification of and accession to this Treaty, the date of

its entry into force and other notices.

6. This Treaty shall be registered by the Depositary Governments

pursuant to Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.

Article XV

Any State Party to the Treaty may propose amendments to this Treaty.

Amendments shall enter into force for each State Party to the Treaty

accepting the amendments upon their acceptance by a majority of the

States Parties to the Treaty and thereafter for each remaining State Party

to the Treaty on the date of acceptance by it.

Article XVI

Any State Party to the Treaty may give notice of its withdrawal from the

Treaty one year after its entry into force by written notification to the

Depositary Governments. Such withdrawal shall take effect one year from

the date of receipt of this notification.

Article XVII

This Treaty, of which the English, Russian, French, Spanish and Chinese

texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the

Depositary Governments. Duly certified copies of this Treaty shall be

transmitted by the Depositary Governments to the Governments of the

signatory and acceding States.

Irish Treaty Series Nº 7 of 1968

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed

this Treaty.

DONE in triplicate, at the cities of London, Moscow and Washington, the

twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-

seven.

Irish Treaty Series Nº 7 of 1968