The
Space Preservation Treaty (SPT) is a proposed international
treatyA treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc...
to ban space weapons in whole, an expansion on part of the
Outer Space TreatyThe Outer Space Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law...
, which bars States Parties to the Treaty from placing nuclear weapons or any other
weapons of mass destructionThe term weapon of mass destruction is often used to describe a weapon that can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general....
in orbit of Earth, installing them on the
MoonThe Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is , about thirty times the diameter of the Earth. The common centre of mass of the system is located at about —a quarter the Earth's...
or any other celestial body, or to otherwise station them in
outer spaceOuter space comprises the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. Outer space is used to distinguish it from airspace and terrestrial locations....
. The Treaty would establish a
peacekeepingPeacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
agency to monitor outer space and enforce the ban on space-based weapons.
The
Space Preservation Treaty (SPT) is a proposed international
treatyA treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc...
to ban space weapons in whole, an expansion on part of the
Outer Space TreatyThe Outer Space Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law...
, which bars States Parties to the Treaty from placing nuclear weapons or any other
weapons of mass destructionThe term weapon of mass destruction is often used to describe a weapon that can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general....
in orbit of Earth, installing them on the
MoonThe Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is , about thirty times the diameter of the Earth. The common centre of mass of the system is located at about —a quarter the Earth's...
or any other celestial body, or to otherwise station them in
outer spaceOuter space comprises the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. Outer space is used to distinguish it from airspace and terrestrial locations....
. The Treaty would establish a
peacekeepingPeacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
agency to monitor outer space and enforce the ban on space-based weapons. Its companion, the Space Preservation Act, was introduced for the fourth time to the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
by Congressman
Dennis KucinichDennis John Kucinich is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 elections....
on May 18 2005.
History
The
Institute for Cooperation in SpaceThe Institute for Cooperation in Space is a 501 tax-exempt, non-profit foundation whose mission is to educate decision makers and the general public about why they believe space weapons should be banned....
, co-founded by Dr. Carol Rosin and
Alfred WebreAlfred Lambremont Webre, J.D., M.Ed. is an author, lawyer , futurist, peace activist, environmental activist, and a space activist who promotes the ban of space weapons. He was a co-architect of the Space Preservation Treaty and the Space Preservation Act that was introduced to the U.S...
, initiated the Treaty. It has received support from over 274
NGONon-governmental organization is a term that has become widely accepted as referring to a legally constituted, non-governmental organization created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation of any government...
s and from various
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politicians, including Hon.
Paul HellyerPaul Theodore Hellyer, PC is a Canadian politician and commentator who has had a long and varied career.- Early life :Hellyer was born and raised on a farm near Waterford, Ontario. Upon completion of high school he studied aeronautical engineering at the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute of...
, a former Minister of Defense, and
Svend RobinsonSvend Robinson is a former prominent Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004, representing the suburban Vancouver-area constituency of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party...
, a former Member of Parliament.
The United Kingdom government believed outer space controls were linked to ground based proliferation issues, and progress would be easier if each issue was approached separately on its merit rather than taking a comprehensive approach. The
Fissile Material Cutoff TreatyThe Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty is a proposed international treaty to prohibit the further production of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium. It would not prevent the production of fuel-grade uranium and plutonium, nor of other components in nuclear warheads...
is an appropriate next step.
It should also be noted that no country has yet signed the Treaty, only the
City of BerkeleyBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and a few municipalities in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
At the end of
Telegraph AvenueTelegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic downtown district of Oakland, California and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of California, Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California...
on the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines...
Campus there is a "space-based weapons-free zone".
External links