Legal and Political Issues

In a program as ambitious and complex as the Artemis Project, we often create new, novel legal and political issues. This is the lawyers' section of the Artemis Data Book. Section 3.5.1 deals with legal issues related to the on-going business of the Artemis Project, such as intellectual property and contracts. Section 3.5.2 deals with the issues related to space flight and getting to the moon.

Questions frequnetly arise in the Artemis Project communication forums about United States law regarding launchers and payloads. These deliberations are often fueled by misinformation regarding U.S. law and lead to wasting an enormous amount of time correcting the error. So, please, before raising a legal issue with regard to U.S. law, please read the actual law. The United States Government Printing Office makes the entire United States Code of Federal Regulations available on line for your perusal and search, and the Federal Aviation Administration offers an even easier-to-use site with the complete Title 14 Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR). In the FAR, scroll down the index page to Chapter III at the bottom, where they list the regulations applicable to Commercial Space Transportation.

Misinformation about international treaties also often leads us to waste a lot of time in fruitless deliberations. With hope of reducing that workload, we present the entire text of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the infamous 1979 Moon Treaty in this section of the Artemis Data Book. Please note that the United States is a signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, but did not sign the 1979 Moon Treaty.

If you are looking for Artemis Society International's legal and organizational documents, see section 6.2.