United Nations Treaties And Principles On Outer Space

D. Principles Relevant to the Use of NuclearPower Sources in Outer SpaceThe General Assembly,Having considered the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of OuterSpace on the work of its thirty-fifth session 7 and the text of the Principles Relevantto the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space as approved by the Committeeand annexed to its report, 8Recognizing that for some missions in outer space nuclear power sources areparticularly suited or even essential owing to their compactness, long life and otherattributes,Recognizing also that the use of nuclear power sources in outer space shouldfocus on those applications which take advantage of the particular properties ofnuclear power sources,Recognizing further that the use of nuclear power sources in outer space shouldbe based on a thorough safety assessment, including probabilistic risk analysis, withparticular emphasis on reducing the risk of accidental exposure of the public toharmful radiation or radioactive material,Recognizing the need, in this respect, for a set of principles containing goalsand guidelines to ensure the safe use of nuclear power sources in outer space,Affirming that this set of Principles applies to nuclear power sources in outerspace devoted to the generation of electric power on board space objects for nonpropulsivepurposes, which have characteristics generally comparable to those ofsystems used and missions performed at the time of the adoption of the Principles,Recognizing that this set of Principles will require future revision in view ofemerging nuclear power applications and of evolving international recommendationson radiological protection,Adopts the Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in OuterSpace as set forth below.Principle 1.Applicability of international lawActivities involving the use of nuclear power sources in outer space shall becarried out in accordance with international law, including in particular the Charter7Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/47/20).8Ibid., annex.48