Article V of the Outer Space Treaty

A register of what 129 states answer when they are asked, in writing, who Article V protects.

Article V, Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, 1967: “States Parties to the Treaty shall regard astronauts as envoys of mankind in outer space.”

On 2 September 2026 the same question went to 129 diplomatic missions in Ottawa: does Article V apply to every person who goes into space, whatever their citizenship or immigration status, or only to nationals of the launching state? Every mission was asked for the position of its state in writing by 15 October 2026.

The question is not academic. Private operators carry people into space under commercial contract, outside any national programme, and some of those people hold the citizenship of no launching state. The text says envoys of mankind. It does not say nationals. On one reading the obligation follows the person regardless of passport. On the other, a stateless passenger is owed nothing by the state that licensed the launch.

This page records what each state said. A state that does not answer is recorded as not having answered. The register is updated as replies arrive.

Deadline for a written position: 15 October 2026. Delivery confirmed for all 129 messages; none was returned undelivered.

The first position on the record

Austria, 4 September 2026, in writing, through its Embassy in Ottawa:

“Article V seems not expressly limit the term ‘astronauts’ to nationals of the Launching State. […] Accordingly, Article V seems not be based on the nationality of the persons concerned, but on whether they fall within the concept of ‘astronauts’ as used in the Treaty.”

Austria adds that the Treaty does not define the term, that legal scholarship distinguishes professional astronauts from “spaceflight participants” travelling for private or commercial leisure purposes, and that the phrase “envoys of mankind” confers no diplomatic or other special legal status. On the question put to it, the state answers that the test is not nationality.

On 9 September 2026 three questions went back to Austria. The letter states that the Treaty does not define the term, and then that its application may be regarded as settled; an undefined term cannot produce a settled application, so Austria is asked to name the state practice, decision or United Nations document that settles it. If no such source exists, Austria is asked whether the meaning of “astronaut” belongs before the Legal Subcommittee, whose Secretariat sits in Vienna. And since a treaty is read so that its terms are given effect, Austria is asked which legal effect the first sentence of Article V does produce, if “envoys of mankind” produces none. The same deadline applies: 15 October 2026.

Last updated 9 September 2026. Compiled and maintained by Danilo Dzyuban, Ottawa, Ontario.