Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon 2

Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon

Article 7

1. In exploring and using the moon, States Parties shall take measures to
prevent the disruption of the existing balance of its environment whether
by introducing adverse changes in that environment, by its harmful
contamination through the introduction of extra-environmental matter or
otherwise. States Parties shall also take measures to avoid harmfully
affecting the environment of the earth through the introduction of
extraterrestrial matter or otherwise.

2. States Parties shall inform the Secretary-General of the United
Nations of the measures being adopted by them in accordance with
paragraph 1 of this article and shall also, to the maximum extent
feasible, notify him in advance of all placements by them of radio-active
materials on the moon and of the purposes of such placements.

3. States Parties shall report to other States Parties and to the
Secretary-General concerning areas of the moon having special scientific
interest in order that, without prejudice to the rights of other States
Parties, consideration may be given to the designation of such areas as
international scientific preserves for which special protective
arrangements are to be agreed upon in consultation with the competent
bodies of the United Nations.

Article 8

1. States Parties may pursue their activities in the exploration and use
of the moon anywhere on or below its surface, subject to the provisions
of this Agreement.

2. For these purposes States Parties may, in particular:

(a) Land their space objects on the moon and launch them from the moon;

(b) Place their personnel, space vehicles, equipment, facilities,
stations and installations anywhere on or below the surface of the
moon.

Personnel, space vehicles, equipment, facilities, stations and
installations may move or be moved freely over or below the surface of
the moon.

3. Activities of States Parties in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of
this article shall not interfere with the activities of other States
Parties on the moon. Where such interference may occur, the States
Parties concerned shall undertake consultations in accordance with
article 15, paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Agreement.

Article 9

1. States Parties may establish manned and unmanned stations on the moon.
A State Party establishing a station shall use only that area which is
required for the needs of the station and shall immediately inform the
Secretary-General of the United Nations of the location and purposes of
that station. Subsequently, at annual intervals that State shall likewise
inform the Secretary-General whether the station continues in use and
whether its purposes have changed.

2. Stations shall be installed in such a manner that they do not impede
the free access to all areas of the moon by personnel, vehicles and
equipment of other States Parties conducting activities on the moon in
accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or of article I of the
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the
Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other
Celestial Bodies.

Article 10

1. States Parties shall adopt all practicable measures to safeguard the
life and health of persons on the moon. For this purpose they shall
regard any person on the moon as an astronaut within the meaning of
article V of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States
in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other
Celestial Bodies and as part of the personnel of a spacecraft within the
meaning of the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of
Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space.

2. States Parties shall offer shelter in their stations, installations,
vehicles and other facilities to persons in distress on the moon.

Article 11

1. The moon and its natural resources are the common heritage of mankind,
which finds its expression in the provisions of this Agreement and in
particular in paragraph 5 or this article.

2. The moon is not subject to national appropriation by any claim of
sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.

3. Neither the surface nor the subsurface of the moon, nor any part
thereof or natural resources in place, shall become property of any
State, international intergovernmental or non-governmental organization,
national organization or non-governmental entity or of any natural
person. The placement of personnel, space vehicles, equipment,
facilities, stations and installations on or below the surface of the
moon, including structures connected with its surface or subsurface,
shall not create a right of ownership over the surface or the subsurface
of the moon or any areas thereof. The foregoing provisions are without
prejudice to the international r‚gime referred to in paragraph 5 of this
article.

4. States Parties have the right to exploration and use of the moon
without discrimination of any kind, on a basis of equality and in
accordance with international law and the terms of this Agreement.

5. States Parties to this Agreement hereby undertake to establish an
international r‚gime, including appropriate procedures, to govern the
exploitation of the natural resources of the moon as such exploitation is
about to become feasible. This provision shall be implemented in
accordance with article 18 of this Agreement.

6. In order to facilitate the establishment of the international r‚gime
referred to in paragraph 5 of this article, States Parties shall 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 any natural resources they may discover on the moon.

7. The main purposes of the international r‚gime to be established shall
include:

(a) The orderly and safe development of the natural resources of the
moon;

(b) The rational management of those resources;

(c) The expansion of opportunities in the use of those resources;

(d) An equitable sharing by all States Parties in the benefits derived
from those resources, whereby the interests and needs of the
developing countries, as well as the efforts of those countries
which have contributed either directly or indirectly to the
exploration of the moon, shall be given special consideration.

8. All the activities with respect to the natural resources of the moon
shall be carried out in a manner compatible with the purposes specified
in paragraph 7 of this article and the provisions of article 6, paragraph
2, of this Agreement.

Conclusion

Notes

See Also

References and Further Reading

About the Author/s and Reviewer/s

Author: international

Mentioned in these Entries

Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon, Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon, Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon.


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