3 The governance of planetary protection
Now that you’ve learned about the reasons why we need to protect planetary bodies, and what it is we’re protecting them from, you’re probably wondering how it is possible to achieve this. Are there rules for space? Who decides what they are? How do we ensure everyone engaging in space activities plays fair?
The answer is the Outer Space Treaty (OST), which provides the legal basis for planetary protection.
‘States parties’ is a legal term used in the OST to refer to a nation or sovereign state that has agreed to be bound by the treaty.
A state is defined by the UN as a political entity with a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.