Registration Convention

The Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, commonly called the Registration Convention, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in resolution 3235 (XXIX) on 12 November 1974, opened for signature on 14 January 1975, and entered into force on 15 September 1976. It is the fourth of the five core UN space treaties, building on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the 1968 Rescue Agreement, and the 1972 Liability Convention.

The Convention obliges each launching State to maintain a national registry of space objects it launches and to furnish information to the United Nations "as soon as practicable." Required data include the name of the launching state, an appropriate designator or registration number, date and territory of launch, basic orbital parameters (nodal period, inclination, apogee, perigee), and the general function of the space object. The UN Secretary-General maintains a public Register, administered in practice by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna.

The treaty's central purpose is transparency and traceability: registration establishes which state retains jurisdiction and control over a space object under Article VIII of the Outer Space Treaty, and which state bears international liability under the 1972 Liability Convention. Where two or more states jointly launch an object, they must determine among themselves which will register it.

Compliance is uneven. Many objects, particularly small satellites and rideshare payloads, are registered late or incompletely, and non-state and commercial actors have complicated reporting. UN General Assembly resolution 62/101 (2007) issued non-binding recommendations to enhance registration practice, including for non-governmental and joint launches.

For Model UN and policy researchers, the Convention is frequently cited in COPUOS debates on space traffic management, debris mitigation, mega-constellations, and the attribution of harmful interference. It does not itself regulate debris, dual-use payloads, or military activity, gaps that remain active areas of contemporary negotiation.