Cynebury Accord: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 1:
{{Infobox treaty
| name = Cynebury Accord
Line 13 ⟶ 12:
| location_signed = Cynebury
| date_sealed =
| date_effective = July 9, 1976
| condition_effective = 5 ratifications, including the depositary Governments
| amendment =
| date_expiration = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} OR: -->
Line 25 ⟶ 24:
| parties = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| ratifiers = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| depositor = Government of [[Tretrid]]<!-- OR: -->
| depositories =
| citations = <!-- format as XX [[Article on Treaty Series|TS]] YYY -->
| language = <!-- OR: -->
Line 47 ⟶ 46:
==Background==
Concerns over the exploration of space first popped up amid the tensions of the Auroran Cold War, which brought the [[w:intercontinental ballistic missile|intercontinental ballistic missile]] (ICBM) into being. The Auroran Space Race, which used rockets derived from ICBMs, also lead to various proposals for the militarization of space, like orbital bombardment satellites. As a countermeasure to such satellites, various proposals for [[w:anti-satellite weapons|anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons]] were created, some of which progressed into active development.
[[File:Hiroshima after the Atom Bomb Strike 1945 taken by sailors of USS Tuscaloosa - Clean and Colored.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Devastation from Ketavuul]]
In the [[Auroran Imperial War]], [[Norograd]] constructed an orbital bombardment weapon, named Ketavuul after the [[Kozam]] god of chaos. It was intended to attack [[Great Morstaybishlia|Morstaybishlian]] installations from orbit, so that ground forces could easily conquer South Staynes. However, in 1975, three Emberite intelligence agents were discovered attempting to sabotage the weapon. The agents were mistaken for [[Ethalria|Ethalrians]], which led to Ketavuul firing 4 rods at Rivendale and its surrounding installations. The effect of this was devastating, as the power of the rods were augmented by small nuclear warheads, causing devastating explosions. Rivendale was devastated, and thousands of civilians and soldiers alike were killed.
[[File:ASM-135 ASAT_5.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The Steorran Spere test]]
As a result of this event, a cease-fire was promptly established and talks between the nations in the AIW began, with the Weyrciff Pact being signed later that year. Ketavuul was deorbited, breaking apart over the southern ocean where it was recovered.
The destruction of Rivendale greatly heightened concerns over the future of space, a fear that was compounded when, on October 2, the Tretridian Air Force performed the Steorran Spere ({{literal translation|Spear of Stars}}) test. In the test shot, an aircraft fired an ASAT missile, successfully destroying the target, a decommissioned research satellite. About 300 pieces of space debris was created from the destruction of the satellite in what would be the only recorded use or test of an ASAT weapon in history. Some pieces of debris from the test would persist in low Urth orbit until the 2000s.
Furthermore, a paper released about a month earlier proposed that the accumulation of [[w:space debris|space debris]] could be much more dangerous to space exploration than previously believed, through a proposed mechanism called [[w:Kessler syndrome|collisional cascading]]. The high number of debris created by a single ASAT shot, along with the likely radiological hazard from the use of ASAT weapons against a station like Ketavuul, created fears that the militarization of space would not only endanger sapient life (as had been demonstrated by the Ketavuul strikes) but also endanger the future of spaceflight. These concerns culminated in the signing and eventual ratification of the Cynebury Accord.
==Key Points==
The treaty established outer space as the "common domain of all urthkind," to be explored and used "on a basis of equality" and guaranteed "free access to all outer space" under Article I of the treaty. The following articles further emphasize that point, declaring all claims over space or celestial bodies null and void (Article II) and requiring the usage of space to be carried out in accordance with international law (Article III).
Any form of armament in outer space and ASAT weapons were prohibited by Article VI. Similarly, as "envoys of urthkind," astronauts were given protected status (Article V). These two provisions were a direct response to both orbital weapons like Ketavuul and the danger posed by ASAT weapons like the one used in Steorran Spere.
Under Article VI, states were given the responsibility of their activities in outer space (including by non-governmental entities) for the purposes of the Treaty and were therefore also liable for any damage caused by its activities under Article VII. These two articles were especially relevant in light of the [[Space Debris Crisis]], as under the provisions of the treaty [[Vakarastan]] was found liable for both the mass destruction of satellites caused by the 2016 collisional cascade and resulting loss of life in [[Air Tavaris Flight 704]].
Article XIV demanded the creation of the International Court of Outer Space (ICOS) to mediate disputes between states regarding the usage of space as well as to arbitrate matters regarding space law.
==See also==
* [[Cynebury Accord/Full text|Full text of the treaty]]
* [[Space Debris Crisis]]
[[Category:Tret's links]]
| |||