The outer Space Treaty

Key principles:

The 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies – more commonly known as the Outer Space Treaty – is an international law designed to keep space free, open and fair. At the height of the space race the goal was to ensure no country could lay claim to anything in space, like the Moon, nor claim a sector of space for their own. It also dictated that countries would be responsible for any launches from their own soil, be they government or private launches, something that’s very relevant today. It also forbade the use of nuclear weapons in space and did its best to ensure space was used only for peaceful purposes. The treaty remains the foundation of our off-planet activities today. Exploring outer space should be done for the benefit of all humankind. Outer space is free to be explored by any country, and no nation can claim sovereignty of space at any point. Nuclear weapons, or other weapons of mass destruction, cannot be used in space or on the surface of other worlds. The Moon and other bodies must be explored for peaceful purposes only. No country can lay claim to them. Astronauts must be regarded as representatives of Earth. Each country is responsible for their own activities in space and any companies that launch from their own soil. Countries are also responsible for any damage they cause in space and must avoid contaminating other worlds.