Fuente:
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SpaceLaw/outerspt.html
The Outer Space
Treaty was considered by the Legal
Subcommittee in 1966 and agreement
was reached in the General Assembly
in the same year (
resolution 2222 (XXI). The
Treaty was largely based on the
Declaration of Legal Principles
Governing the Activities of States
in the Exploration and Use of Outer
Space, which had been adopted by
the General Assembly in its
resolution 1962 (XVIII) in 1963,
but added a few new provisions. The
Treaty was opened for signature by
the three depository Governments (the
Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom and the United States of
America) in January 1967, and it
entered into force in October 1967.
The Outer Space Treaty provides the
basic framework on international
space law, including the following
principles:
-
the
exploration and use of outer
space shall be carried out for
the benefit and in the interests
of all countries and shall be
the province of all mankind;
-
outer space
shall be free for exploration
and use by all States;
-
outer space
is not subject to national
appropriation by claim of
sovereignty, by means of use or
occupation, or by any other
means;
-
States shall
not place nuclear weapons or
other weapons of mass
destruction in orbit or on
celestial bodies or station them
in outer space in any other
manner;
-
the Moon and
other celestial bodies shall be
used exclusively for peaceful
purposes;
-
astronauts
shall be regarded as the envoys
of mankind;
-
States shall
be responsible for national
space activities whether carried
out by governmental or non-governmental
activities;
-
States shall
be liable for damage caused by
their space objects; and
-
States shall
avoid harmful contamination of
space and celestial bodies.
98 States have
ratified, and an additional 27 have
signed the Outer Space Treaty (as of
1 January 2008).For further
information, see the
Treaty Status Index.
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
available in the following languages
and formats.
