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{{Infobox Treaty
| name = Moon Treaty
| long_name =Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
| image =Moon Treaty Participation.svg
| image_width = 250px
| caption =Ratifications and signatories of the treaty<br>
{{legend|#00aa00|Parties}}
{{legend|#ffff00|Signatories}}
{{legend|#ff1111|Non-parties}}
| type =
| date_drafted =
| date_signed = December 18, 1979
| location_signed = New York, USA
| date_sealed =
| date_effective = July 11, 1984
| condition_effective = 5 ratifications
| date_expiration =
| signatories = 11
| parties = 17<ref name=untdb>{{cite web|url=http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/moon|title=Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies|publisher=[[United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs]]|accessdate=2013-05-16}}</ref><ref name=unoda>{{cite web|url=https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXIV-2&chapter=24&clang=_en|title=Agreement governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies|accessdate=2014-12-05|publisher=[[United Nations]]}}</ref> (as of November 2016)
| depositor = [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]]
| language =
| languages = English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese
| website =
| wikisource =Moon Treaty
}}

{{International ownership conventions}}
The '''Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies''',<ref>''[http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/SpaceLaw/moon.html Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies]'', Dec. 5, 1979, 1363 U.N.T.S. 3</ref> better known as the '''Moon Treaty''' or '''Moon Agreement''', is an international treaty that turns [[jurisdiction]] of all celestial bodies (including the orbits around such bodies) over to the international community. Thus, all activities must conform to international law, including the [[United Nations Charter]].

In practice it is a failed treaty because it has not been ratified by any state that engages in self-launched [[human spaceflight|manned space exploration]] or has plans to do so (e.g. the [[United States]], the larger part of the member states of the [[European Space Agency]], [[Russia]] (former [[Soviet Union]]), [[People's Republic of China]], [[Japan]], and [[India]]) since its creation in 1979, and thus has a negligible effect on actual spaceflight. As of November 2016, it has been ratified by 17 states.<ref name=untdb/>

==Provisions==
As a follow-on to the [[Outer Space Treaty]], the Moon Treaty intended to establish a [[regime]] for the use of the Moon and other [[Astronomical object|celestial bodies]] similar to the one established for the [[seabed|sea floor]] in the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]]. The treaty would apply to the Moon and to other [[celestial bodies]] within the [[Solar System]], other than [[Earth]], including [[orbits]] around or other trajectories to or around them.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}

The treaty makes a declaration that the Moon should be used for the benefit of all states and all peoples of the international community. It also expresses a desire to prevent the Moon from becoming a source of international conflict. To those ends the treaty does the following:{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}

*Bans any military use of celestial bodies, including weapon testing or as military bases.
*Bans all exploration and uses of celestial bodies without the approval or benefit of other states under the [[common heritage of mankind]] principle (article 11).
*Requires that the [[Secretary-General of the United Nations|Secretary-General]] must be notified of all celestial activities (and discoveries developed thanks to those activities).
*Declares all states have an equal right to conduct research on celestial bodies.
*Declares that for any samples obtained during research activities, the state that obtained them must consider making part of it available to all countries/scientific communities for research.
*Bans altering the environment of celestial bodies and requires that states must take measures to prevent accidental contamination.
*Bans any state from claiming [[sovereignty]] over any territory of celestial bodies.
*Bans any ownership of any extraterrestrial property by any organization or person, unless that organization is international and governmental.
*Requires an [[international regime]] be set up to ensure safe and orderly development and management of the resources and sharing of the benefits from them.

==Ratification==
[[Image:Moon Treaty Participation.svg|right|400px|thumb|
Participation in the Moon Treaty
{{legend|#00aa00|Parties}}
{{legend|#ffff00|Signatories}}
{{legend|#ff1111|Non-parties}}
]]

The treaty was finalized in 1979 and entered into force for the [[ratification|ratifying]] parties in 1984. As of November 2016, 17 states are parties to the treaty,<ref name=untdb/> seven of which ratified the agreement and the rest acceded.<ref name=untdb/><ref name='UNOOSA'>[http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/ST_SPACE_11_Rev2_Add1E.pdf Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space as at 1 January 2008] United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, 2008</ref> Four additional states have signed but not ratified the treaty.<ref name=untdb/><ref name="UNOOSA"/> The [[L5 Society]] and others successfully opposed ratification of the treaty by the United States Senate.<ref name=oneilchilds>[http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacemovement/chapter05.htm Chapter 5: O'Neills Children], Reaching for the High Frontier, The American Pro-Space Movement 1972-84, by Michael A. G. Michaud, National Space Society.</ref>

The objection to the treaty by the spacefaring nations is held to be the requirement that extracted resources (and the technology used to that end) must be shared with other nations. The similar regime in the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]] is believed to impede the development of such industries on the seabed.<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1954/1
| title =The Moon Treaty: failed international law or waiting in the shadows?
| last =Listner
| first =Michael
| date =24 October 2011
| website =The Space Review
| publisher =9 October 2015
| access-date =
| quote =Assuming that the Moon Treaty has no legal effect because of the non-participation of the Big Three is folly. The shadow of customary law and its ability to creep into the vacuum left vacant by treaty law should not be underestimated. To that end, the most effective way of dealing with the question of the Moon Treaty’s validity is to officially denounce it. However, the realities of international politics and diplomacy will likely preclude such an action. The alternative is to act in a manner contrary to the Moon Treaty, and more importantly not to act in conformity with its precepts and hope that is sufficient to turn back the shadows of the Moon Treaty. }}</ref>

===List of parties===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! State<ref name=untdb/><ref name=unoda/>
! Signed
! Deposited
! Method
|-
| {{flag|Australia}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|1986|Jul|7}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Austria}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1980|May|21}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1984|Jun|11}}
| Ratification
|-
| {{flag|Belgium}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|2004|Jun|29}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Chile}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1980|Jan|3}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1981|Nov|12}}
| Ratification
|-
| {{flag|Kazakhstan}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|2001|Jan|11}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Kuwait}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|2014|Apr|28}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Lebanon}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|2006|Apr|12}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Mexico}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|1991|Oct|11}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Morocco}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1980|Jul|25}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1993|Jan|21}}
| Ratification
|-
| {{flag|Netherlands}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1981|Jan|27}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1983|Feb|17}}
| Ratification
|-
| {{flag|Pakistan}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|1986|Feb|27}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Peru}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1981|Jun|23}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|2005|Nov|23}}
| Ratification
|-
| {{flag|Philippines}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1980|Apr|23}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1981|May|26}}
| Ratification
|-
| {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|2012|Jul|18}}
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|2012|Feb|29}}<ref>{{ cite web | title = Reference: C.N.124.2012.TREATIES-2 (Depositary Notification) | publisher = United Nations | location = New York, NY | url = http://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2012/CN.124.2012-Eng.pdf | accessdate = 2012-04-03 }}</ref>
| Accession
|-
| {{flag|Uruguay}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1981|Jun|1}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1981|Nov|9}}
| Ratification
|-
| {{flag|Venezuela}}
|
| {{dts|format=dmy|2016|Nov|3}}
| Accession
|}

===List of signatories===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! State<ref name=untdb/><ref name=unoda/>
! Signed
|-
| {{flag|France}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1980|Jan|29}}
|-
| {{flag|Guatemala}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1980|Nov|20}}
|-
| {{flag|India}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1982|Jan|18}}
|-
| {{flag|Romania}}
| {{dts|format=dmy|1980|Apr|17}}
|}

{| align="right"
|{{Extraterritorialities}}
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource}}
*[http://www.islandone.org/Treaties/BH766.html Treaty Text] — "Agreement Governing The Activities Of States On the Moon And Other Celestial Bodies" (1979)
*[http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/SpaceLaw/moon.html Official Treaty Site] — [[United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs]] (UNOOSA), including versions of the treaty in several languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

[[Category:Cold War treaties]]
[[Category:Colonization of the Moon|Treaty]]
[[Category:Space treaties]]
[[Category:Treaties concluded in 1979]]
[[Category:Treaties entered into force in 1984]]
[[Category:United Nations treaties]]
[[Category:Moon|Treaty]]
[[Category:Treaties of Australia]]
[[Category:Treaties of Austria]]
[[Category:Treaties of Belgium]]
[[Category:Treaties of Chile]]
[[Category:Treaties of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Treaties of Kuwait]]
[[Category:Treaties of Lebanon]]
[[Category:Treaties of Mexico]]
[[Category:Treaties of Morocco]]
[[Category:Treaties of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Treaties of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Treaties of Peru]]
[[Category:Treaties of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Treaties of Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Treaties of Turkey]]
[[Category:Treaties of Uruguay]]
[[Category:Treaties of Venezuela]]
[[Category:1979 in New York]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to the Netherlands Antilles]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to Aruba]]

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