Registration Convention

The Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (commonly known as the Registration Convention) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1974[1][2] and went into force in 1976. As of February 2022, it has been ratified by 72 states.[3]

Registration Convention
Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space
  ratified
  signed, but not yet ratified
Signed12 November 1974
LocationNew York City, New York, United States
Effective15 September 1976
Condition5 ratifications
Signatories3
Parties72
DepositarySecretary-General of the United Nations
LanguagesArabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish

The convention requires states to furnish to the United Nations with details about the orbit of each space object. A registry of launchings was already being maintained by the United Nations as a result of a General Assembly Resolution in 1962.[4][5]

The Registration Convention and four other space law treaties are administered by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

The European Space Agency, European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization, and the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications have submitted declarations of acceptance of rights and obligations according to the convention.[6]

Current status

The register is kept by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and includes[7]

Information on registered objects is available at the UNOOSA site

List of states parties

There are currently 72 states parties to the Convention.[3]

State party Signed Deposited Entered into force
 Algeria — 9 March 2007 9 March 2007
 Antigua and Barbuda — 13 December 1988 13 December 1988
 Argentina 26 March 1975 5 May 1993 5 May 1993
 Armenia — 19 January 2018 19 January 2018
 Australia — 11 March 1986 11 March 1986
 Austria 14 October 1975 6 March 1980 6 March 1980
 Bahrain — 6 July 2021 6 July 2021
 Belarus[upper-alpha 1] 30 June 1975 26 January 1978 26 January 1978
 Belgium 30 June 1975 24 February 1977 24 February 1977
 Brazil — 17 March 2006 17 March 2006
 Bulgaria 4 February 1976 11 May 1976 15 September 1976
 Canada 14 February 1975 4 August 1976 15 September 1976
 Chile — 17 September 1981 17 September 1981
 China[upper-alpha 2] — 17 September 1981 17 September 1981
 Colombia — 10 January 2014 10 January 2014
 Costa Rica — 14 October 2010 14 October 2010
 Cuba — 10 April 1978 10 April 1978
 Cyprus[upper-alpha 3] — 6 July 1978 6 July 1978
 Czech Republic[upper-alpha 4] — 22 February 1993 22 February 1993
 Denmark 12 December 1975 1 April 1977 1 April 1977
 Finland — 15 January 2018 15 January 2018
 France 14 January 1975 17 December 1975 15 September 1976
 Germany[upper-alpha 5] 2 March 1976 16 October 1979 16 October 1979
 Greece — 27 May 2003 27 May 2003
 Hungary 13 October 1975 26 October 1977 26 October 1977
 India — 18 January 1982 18 January 1982
 Indonesia — 16 July 1997 16 July 1997
 Italy — 8 December 2005 8 December 2005
 Japan — 20 June 1983 20 June 1983
 Kazakhstan — 11 January 2001 11 January 2001
 Korea, North — 10 March 2009 10 March 2009
 Korea, South — 14 October 1981 14 October 1981
 Kuwait — 28 April 2014 28 April 2014
 Lebanon — 28 April 2004 28 April 2004
 Libya — 8 January 2010 8 January 2010
 Liechtenstein — 26 February 1999 26 February 1999
 Lithuania — 8 March 2013 8 March 2013
 Luxembourg — 27 January 2021 27 January 2021
 Mexico 19 December 1975 1 March 1977 1 March 1977
 Mongolia 30 October 1975 10 April 1985 10 April 1985
 Montenegro[upper-alpha 6] — 23 October 2006 23 October 2006
 Morocco — 19 September 2012 19 September 2012
 Netherlands — 26 January 1981 26 January 1981
 New Zealand[upper-alpha 7] — 23 January 2018 23 January 2018
 Nicaragua 13 May 1975 11 July 2017 11 July 2017
 Niger 5 August 1976 22 December 1976 22 December 1976
 Nigeria — 6 July 2009 6 July 2009
 Norway — 28 June 1995 28 June 1995
 Oman — 10 February 2022 10 February 2022
 Pakistan 1 December 1975 27 February 1986 27 February 1986
 Peru — 21 March 1979 21 March 1979
 Poland 4 December 1975 22 November 1978 22 November 1978
 Portugal — 2 November 2018 2 November 2018
 Qatar — 14 March 2012 14 March 2012
 Russia[upper-alpha 8] 17 June 1975 13 January 1978 13 January 1978
 Saudi Arabia — 18 July 2012 18 July 2012
 Serbia[upper-alpha 6][upper-alpha 9] — 12 March 2001 12 March 2001
 Seychelles — 28 December 1977 28 December 1977
 Slovakia[upper-alpha 4] — 28 May 1993 28 May 1993
 Slovenia — 20 February 2019 20 February 2019
 South Africa — 27 January 2012 27 January 2012
 Spain — 20 December 1978 20 December 1978
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — 27 April 1999 27 April 1999
 Sweden 9 June 1976 9 June 1976 15 September 1976
  Switzerland 14 April 1975 15 February 1978 15 February 1978
 Turkey[upper-alpha 3] — 21 June 2006 21 June 2006
 Ukraine[upper-alpha 10] 11 July 1975 14 September 1977 14 September 1977
 United Arab Emirates — 7 November 2000 7 November 2000
 United Kingdom[upper-alpha 2][upper-alpha 11] 6 May 1975 30 March 1978 30 March 1978
 United States 24 January 1975 15 September 1976 15 September 1976
 Uruguay — 18 August 1977 18 August 1977
 Venezuela — 3 November 2016 3 November 2016

Signatories that are not parties

There are three states which have signed, but not ratified, the Convention.[3]

State Signed
 Burundi 13 November 1975
 Iran 27 May 1975
 Singapore 31 August 1976

Organizations accepting the rights and obligations

Several intergovernmental organizations, which cannot be party to the Convention, have nonetheless notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations that they have accepted the rights and obligations of the Convention.[3]

Organization Notified
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites 10 July 1997
European Space Agency 2 January 1979
European Telecommunications Satellite Organization 10 June 2014
Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications 10 July 2018

Proposals

A General Assembly resolution from December 2007 that was accepted by consensus recommended that the data should be extended to include:[8]

  • Coordinated Universal Time as the time reference for the date of launch;
  • Kilometres, minutes and degrees as the standard units for basic orbital parameters;
  • Any useful information relating to the function of the space object in addition to the general function requested by the Registration Convention
  • The geostationary orbit location, if appropriate
  • Any change of status in operations (e.g., when a space object is no longer functional)
  • The approximate date of decay or re-entry
  • The date and physical conditions of moving a space object to a disposal orbit
  • Web links to official information on space objects

Background

For many years, concern has existed surrounding the growing number of dead or inactive satellites in space. These litter the part of space near geostationary orbit and pose a major threat, as any collision would produce serious damage or loss of satellites.[9] As of 2021, there are nearly 12,000 objects registered in the UNOOSA Online Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space.[10]

Notes
  1. Belarus signed and ratified the Convention as the  Byelorussian SSR, which was a republic within the Soviet Union. The current Belarusian state did not begin to exist until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 26 December 1991.
  2. On 30 March 1978, the United Kingdom declared that the Convention applied to all its territories, including Hong Kong, whose sovereignty was transferred to China on 1 July 1997. China filed a declaration that upon the transfer, the Convention would continue to apply to Hong Kong.
  3. Turkey filed a statement when it acceded to the Convention which implicitly stated that it did not intend for the Convention to be in force with Cyprus. Cyprus objected to the declaration on 21 June 2007 and stated that it would recognize the Convention as being in force with Turkey.
  4.  Czechoslovakia signed the Convention on 5 April 1976 and ratified it on 26 July 1977, which was also the date it entered into force for Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia dissolved into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 31 December 1992.
  5.  East Germany signed the Convention on 27 August 1975 and ratified it on 12 May 1977, which was also the date it entered into force for East Germany. East Germany was absorbed by West Germany (the current German state) on 3 October 1990.
  6.  Yugoslavia acceded to the Convention on 24 February 1978, which was also the date it entered into force for Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia has since dissolved.
  7. The Convention is not in force for Tokelau.
  8. Russia is the successor state to the  Soviet Union
  9. Serbia is the successor state to  Serbia and Montenegro.
  10. Ukraine signed and ratified the Convention as the  Ukrainian SSR, which was a republic within the Soviet Union. The current Ukrainian state did not begin to exist until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 26 December 1991.
  11. On 30 March 1978, the United Kingdom declared that the Convention applied to all its territories, including Antigua and Barbuda, Brunei, Dominica, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Solomon Islands, which, except for Anguilla, have all since become sovereign states.

References
  1. United Nations General Assembly Session 29 Resolution 3235. Convention on Registration of Objects Launched Into Outer Space A/RES/3235(XXIX) 12 November 1974. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  2. "Resolution 3235 (XXIX) - Convention on Registration of Objects Launched Into Outer Space". UNOOSA. 12 November 1974. Archived from the original on 28 March 2008.
  3. "Convention on registration of objects launched into outer space". United Nations Treaty Collection. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  4. United Nations General Assembly Session 16 Resolution 1721. International co-operation in the peaceful uses of outer space A/RES/1721(XVI) 20 December 1962. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  5. "1721 (XVI) - International Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space". 20 December 1962. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008.
  6. Status of International Agreements relating to activities in outer space as at 1 January 2012
  7. "Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space". UNOOSA. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  8. United Nations General Assembly Session 62 Resolution 101. A/RES/62/101 page 3. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  9. McKie, Robin (24 February 2008). "Warning of catastrophe from mass of 'space junk' - 'Failure to act would be folly,' says report to UN". London: The Observer. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  10. "Search OSOidx". www.unoosa.org. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
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