Outer Space Treaty Signed
January 27, 1967 · 20th Century
The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, was signed on January 27, 1967, and entered into force on October 10, 1967. It forms the basis of international space law and prohibits placing nuclear weapons in orbit, on the Moon, or any other celestial bodies.
Key Figures
Lyndon B. JohnsonDean RuskArthur J. GoldbergAnatoly F. DobryninSir Patrick Dean
Locations
Washington, D.C.LondonMoscowWhite House East Room
Topics
lawOuter SpaceinternationalTreatyspace
Connected Events — 4 Connections
Outer Space Treaty ban on orbital nuclear weapons established the arms control precedent that the ABM Treaty extended to space-based missile defense systems ABM Treaty Signed by US and USSR
Gagarin spaceflight demonstrated nations could operate in orbit creating urgent need for the international legal framework the Outer Space Treaty established First Man in Space
Cuban Missile Crisis demonstrated existential danger of nuclear weapons directly motivating US-Soviet negotiations to prevent space weaponization that produced the Outer Space Treaty Cuban Missile Crisis
The Antarctic Treaty's model of demilitarizing shared territory directly influenced the Outer Space Treaty Antarctic Treaty Signed
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