LEGAL FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTSFOR INTERNATIONAL SPACECOOPERATIONJAY STEPTOEDEPUTY GENERAL COUNSELNATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATIONUNITED STATES OF AMERICABACKGROUNDUNITED NATIONS: 1996 “DECLARATION ON INTERNATIONALCOOPERATION IN THE EXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTERSPACE FOR THE BENEFIT AND IN THE INTEREST OF ALL STATES,TAKING INTO PARTICULAR ACCOUNT THE NEEDS OFDEVELOPING COUNTRIES”

BACKGROUNDAnnex, Paragraph 2. STATES ARE FREE TO DETERMINE ALL ASPECTS OFTHEIR PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THEEXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTER SPACE ON AN EQUITABLE ANDMUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE BASIS. CONTRACTUAL TERMS IN SUCHCOOPERATIVE VENTURES SHOULD BE FAIR AND REASONABLE AND THEYSHOULD BE IN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH THE LEGITIMATE RIGHTS ANDINTERESTS OF THE PARTIES CONCERNED AS, FOR EXAMPLE, WITHINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS.

BACKGROUNDAnnex, Paragraph 3. ALL STATES, PARTICULARLY THOSE WITHRELEVANT SPACE CAPABILITIES AND WITH PROGRAMMES FOR THEEXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTER SPACE, SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TOPROMOTING AND FOSTERING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON ANEQUITABLE AND MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE BASIS. IN THIS CONTEXT,PARTICULAR ATTENTION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE BENEFIT FOR ANDTHE INTERESTS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND COUNTRIES WITHINCIPIENT SPACE PROGRAMMES STEMMING FROM SUCHINTERNATIONAL COOPERATION CONDUCTED WITH COUNTRIES WITHMORE ADVANCED SPACE CAPABILITIESPURPOSE• TO ESTABLISH BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT THE LEGALRIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF STATES TOGOVERN THE CONDUCT OF JOINT SPACE ACTIVITIESUNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW• THE PROVIDE NATIONAL SPACE AGENCIES THE LEGALCAPACITY TO ENTER INTO “IMPLEMENTINGARRANGEMENTS” AND OTHER SUBORDINATETECHNICAL UNDERSTANDINGS FOR SPECIFICACTIVITIESPURPOSE• BY THESE MEANS, THEREBY TO ENCOURAGE ANDFACILITATE A BROAD RANGE OF COOPERATIVE ANDOTHER SPACE-RELATED ACTIVITIES BETWEEN ANDAMONG MINISTRIES AND AGENCIES OF THERESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS.
• LEGAL FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS ARE ESPECIALLYUSEFUL TO DEEPEN COOPERATION BETWEENTRADITIONAL SPACE-FARING NATIONSDEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERNATIONALSTANDARDTHE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT TO DESIGN,DEVELOP, OPERATE AND UTILIZE THE INTERNATIONALSPACE STATION CAN BE CONSIDERED THE FIRSTMAJOR FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT FOR SPACECOOPERATIONTHE UNITED STATES HAS SINCE CONCLUDEDFRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS WITH 14 COUNTRIES•AN EARLY EXAMPLE WAS A LIMITED AGREEMENT WITHJAPAN TO ADDRESS LIABILITY FOR SPACE ACTIVITIESCONCLUDED IN 1995; IT IS STILL IN EFFECTDEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERNATIONALSTANDARD

THE SCOPE AND CONTENT OF U.S. SPACECOOPERATION FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS HAVEBECOME INCREASINGLY SIMILAR OVER TIME
AN EMERGING INTERNATIONAL “STANDARD”SCOPEFIELDS OF POTENTIAL COOPERATIONS (EXAMPLES):– SPACE SCIENCE– EARTH SCIENCE– SPACE OPERATIONS AND EXPLORATION– AERONAUTICS– EDUCATION– TECHNOLOGY– SPACE TRANSPORTATIONSCOPETHE JOINT ACTIVITIES MAY BE IMPLEMENTED USING:•SPACECRAFT AND SPACE RESEARCH PLATFORMS•SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS ONBOARD SPACECRAFT AND
SPACE RESEARCH PLATFORMS•SOUNDING ROCKET AND SCIENTIFIC BALLOON FLIGHTSAND CAMPAIGNS•AIRCRAFT FLIGHTS AND CAMPAIGNS•GROUND-BASED ANTENNAS FOR TRACKING AND DATAACQUISITIONSCOPEJOINT ACTIVITIES (CONTINUED):•GROUND-BASED SPACE RESEARCH FACILITIES•EXCHANGES OF SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS OR OTHEREXPERTS ON GENERAL OR SPECIFIC SUBJECTS•EXCHANGES OF SCIENTIFIC DATA•EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH ACTIVITIES•OTHER FORMS OF COOPERATION AS AGREED BETWEENTHE PARTIESCONTENT•••••••••FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
DUTIES, FEES, AND TAXESENTRY AND EXIT OF PERSONNELOVERFLIGHT OF TERRITORYTRANSFER OF GOODS AND TECHNICAL DATAINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTSLIABILITYREGISTRATION OF SPACE OBJECTSCONSULTATIONS AND SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES