IRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

22 June 2015 

UNITED NATIONS 

GENERAL 

ASSEMBLY A/AC.105/C.2/L.2/Rev.2 

ENGLISH 

ORIGINAL: RUSSIAN 

Distr. 

LIMITED 

COMMITTEE ON THE PEACE:Fill, USES OF OUTER SPACE 

Legal Sub-Committee 

USSR: revised draft 

AGREEMENTon the rescue of astronauts and spaceships in the 

event of accident or emergency landing 

The Governments of 

Considering that all mankind is interested in the peaceful uses of outer 

space, 

Desiring to promote the further development of international co-operation 

in the conquest of outer space, 

,Recognizing that it is the duty of all States to assist astronauts and 

spaceships in the event of accident or emergency landing, 

Recalling General Assembly resolution 1962 (XVIII), entitled "Declaration of 

Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of 

Outer Space", 

Prompted by sentiments of humanity and having regard for the needs of science, 

Have decided to conclude an agreement as follows: 

Article 1 

General obligations 

1. Each Contracting State shall, in accordance with the provisions of this 

Agreement, render all possible assistance to the crews of spaceships in the event 

Iria■ of accident, distress or emergency landing; to this end it shall employ every 

means at its disposal, including electronic and optical equipment, means of 

communication, and rescue facilities of various kinds. 

64-20751 /... 

i--Ptiq0/4(/ 
I 

A/AC.109/C.2/L.2/Rev.2 

English 

Page 2 

, 2. Each Contracting State shall foster international co-operation in the 

conduct of operations to find and salvage space objects launched in accordance 

with the Leclaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the 

Exploration and Use of Outer Space. • 

Article 2 

Notification of accident 

Each Contracting State whose authorities in some way receive information or 

discover that the crew of a spaceship of another State have suffered accident or 

are experiencing conditions of distress or have made an emergency landing shall do 

their utmost to notify without delay the State which officially announced its 

launching-of the said spaceship, and shall in addition immediately notify the 

Secretary-General of the United Nations. 

Article 3 

Assistance in the territory of a Contracting State 

In the event that astronauts make an emergency landing, owing to 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

22 June 2015 

accident or distress, in the territory of a Contracting State, that State shall 

immediately take all possible steps, within the limits of the means at its 

disposal, to rescue the astronaunts and to render them the necessary assistance. 

It shall inform the State which officially announced its launching of the 

spaceship concerned, and also the Secretary-General of the United Nations, of the 

steps taken and of their result. 

2. The assistance to be furnished when necessary by one Contracting State to 

astronauts of another State shall in no way differ from the assistance which could 

be furnished to its own astronauts. 

3. If the Contracting State in whose territory the astronauts have landed 

is unable to carry out the necessary rescue operations unaided, it shall request 

the State which officially announced its launching of the spaceship concerned to 

!o-operate with it with a view to the effective conduct of operations in its 

erritory to find and rescue the crew of the spaceship. 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

- 22 June 2015 

AJAC. 105/C. 2/L. 2/Rev. 2 

English 

Page 3 

Article 4 

Assistance outside the territory of a Contracting State 

If information is received or it is discovered that astronauts have alighted, 

owing to accident or distress, on the high seas or in any other place not under 

the sovereignty of any State, search and rescue operations shall be conducted by 

such Contracting States as are in a position to carry out these operations. These 

operations shall be directed by the State which officially announced its launching 

of the spaceship concerned or by such other State as it may request to take charge 

thereof. 

Article 5 

Obligation to return the crew 

Each Contracting State shall do its utmost to facilitate the earliest possible 

return to their own country of the crew of a spaceship which was launched in 

accordance with the Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of 

States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space and which has met with an accident, 

been in distress or made an emergency landing in its territory or which it has 

rescued elsewhere. 

Article 6 

Return of space objects 

1. Each Contracting State which receives information or discovers that an 

object launched into outer space or component parts thereof have‘ returned to earth 

shall notify without delay the State which officially announced its launching of 

that space object and shall in addition immediately notify the Secretary-General of 

the United Nations., 

2. Each Contracting State shall, at the request of the State which officially 

▪ announced the launching thereof, return to that State foreign spaceships, 

satellites and capsules launched in accordance with the Declaration of Legal 

• Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of. Outer 

Space, together with the equipment they contain, or parts of any such objects, 

discovered in its territory or found by it elsewhere. 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

22 June 2015 

A/AC.105/C . 2/L. 2/Rev. 2 

English 

Page 4 

The State which officially announced its launching of the objects into 

outer space shall, before they are returned, furnish identifying particulars 

thereof at the request of the State which has discovered such objects in its 

territory or recovered them elsewhere. 

4. The expenses incurred by a State in fulfilling the obligations prescribed 

in paragraph 2 of this article shall be reimbursed by the State to which a space 

object is returned. 

Final provisions 

Article 7 

This Agreement shall be open for signature by all States. Any State which 

does not sign this Agreement before its entry into force in accordance with 

article 9 may accede to it at any time. 

Article 8 

This Agreement shall be subject to ratification by the States which have 

signed it. Instruments of ratification and of accession shall be deposited with 

the Governments of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States 

of America, which are hereby appointed the depositary Governments. 

Article 9 

This Agreement shall enter into force upon the deposit of the second 

instrument of ratification or of accession. Fbr a State which has ratified this 

Agreement or acceded thereto, it shall enter into force upon the deposit of that 

Staters instrument of ratification or of accession. 

Article 10 

The depositary Governments shall immediately notify all States which have 

signed and accededtb.this Agreement of the date of each signature, the date of 

deposit of each instrumeirtof ratification and of accession'and the date of entry 

into force of this Agreement, and also of other notifications. 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

22 June 2015 

A/AC. 105/C . 2/L. 2/Rev. 2 

EnGlich 

PaGe 5 

Article 11 

This Agreement shall be registered bar the depositary Governments in 

accordance with Article 1( of the Charter of the United Nations. 

Article 12 

This Agreement, of which the texts in the Russian, Chinese, English, French 

and Spanish languages, are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives 

of the depositary Governments. Duly certified copies of this Agreement shall 

be transmitted by the depositary Governments to the Governments of States which 

r71

r have signed the Agreement or /weeded thereto.