However, it is interesting that, throughout its 50 years of existence, the treaty has never really been violated. Although many practical challenges have been posed, they have always been posed with parts of the treaty in mind, rather than trying to completely undermine it. The treaty came into force in October. Planetary Resources, a US asteroid mining company, says its vision is to extend the economy into space.
The ASAT test of Russia's direct ascent in December is an example of this, and while the international community may express its dismay and condemn such actions, as did the United States, the existing space law regime does not expressly denounce them as illegal, a fact that states with programs space (including the United States) take advantage of. The Outer Space Treaty may have been well ahead of its time, but the time it looks to the future may be right now. But in recent years, experts in space law have been debating its interpretation as more and more companies express interest in extracting space objects in search of resources. Public organizations such as the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpoC) of the United States military and private agencies such as the Spatial Data Association are making progress on these issues, including coordination between the public and private sectors.
From 8 to 17 June, the fifty-ninth session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was held in Vienna, and was attended by 70 States. Among previous attempts to address the issue of arms control in space, which failed in part because of its object-based approach, one of the most notable is the European Union's draft international code of conduct for outer space activities. By testing ASAT weapons, countries were quick to assure the international community that they remained committed to the peaceful use of outer space. The Subcommittee submitted a draft report to the General Assembly and the Chairman of the Working Group on the Status and Application of the Five United Nations Treaties Relating to Outer Space also submitted a report.
It discusses, or rather prohibits, sovereign claims to territory in outer space, assures nations with space programs that their astronauts will be treated well if they return to Earth in the territory of another nation, and makes it clear that international law applies a lot to outer space. That's why an article of the treaty prohibits countries from placing nuclear weapons in orbit or other planetary bodies. It is an international organization of scientists that develops standards on how to clean a spacecraft according to where in the Solar System the vehicle is going. That same year, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution entitled “Governing the activities of States in the exploration and use of space”.
It was an agreement approved by the United Nations called the Outer Space Treaty, and 104 nations have become parties to the document since it was signed and promulgated in 1967. Of course, space exploration ultimately didn't develop as extensively as many enthusiasts imagined in the 1960s. With the expansion of domestic and commercial space activities, the Outer Space Treaty will extend to its limits.
