Science & TechGS-32026-08-05

Space ki Kahani: Rules Kaise Bane Jab Zameen hi Nahi Thi

Chai pe kahani style mein — Outer Space Treaty se leke Shiv Shakti Point tak, LCROSS se leke James Webb Telescope tak, ek immersive journey. Sputnik ke us ek din se shuru, jab pehli baar kisi ko yaad aaya ki aasman ki koi definition hi nahi hai — aur rules technology ke pahunchne se pehle likhne pade.

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Ye Kahani Kyun

Socho, ek time tha jab space matlab kuch nahi tha. Bas raat mein taare dikhte the, log unhe dekhte the, kahaniyaan banate the. Bas. Kisi ke paas rocket nahi tha. Kisi ke paas satellite nahi tha. Kisi ne socha bhi nahi tha ki "bhai, agar hum upar kuch bhej dein toh kya hoga?"

Phir 1957 aaya. Aur sab kuch badal gaya.

Iss article mein hum poori kahani samjhenge — kaise space ke rules bane, kyun bane, aur aaj kaunse naye challenges saamne aa rahe hain. Chai le lo, kahani lambi hai.

Chapter 1: October 1957 — Woh Din Jab Sab Kuch Badla

4 October 1957. Soviet Union ne ek chhoti si metal ki ball launch ki. Naam — Sputnik-1. Basketball se thoda bada, andar radio transmitter. Bas.

Ye ball Earth ke chaaron taraf ghoomne lagi. Har 96 minute mein ek pura chakkar. Aur beep beep karti rahi.

Ab imagine karo. Ye ball Russia se launch hui thi, lekin ghoom rahi thi poori duniya ke upar. America ke upar bhi, France ke upar bhi, India ke upar bhi. Har country ke aasman ke upar se guzar rahi thi bina permission ke.

Log soch rahe the — "ye toh trespassing hai! Har country ke aasman pe uska control hota hai. Toh phir ye kaise legal hai?"

Lekin phir kisi ne dhyaan diya — "ruk, aasman ki definition kya hai? Kahaan tak country ka aasman hai, aur kahaan se space shuru hota hai?"

Iska koi jawaab tha hi nahi. Kisi ne kabhi socha hi nahi tha. Rules banaye hi nahi gaye the kyunki zaroorat hi nahi thi.

Aur tab kuch bahut logon ko laga — "agar hum rules abhi nahi banayenge, toh kal koi bhi country apna nuclear weapon orbit mein daal degi. Koi bhi Moon pe zameen kharid legi. Koi bhi kisi ka satellite tod dega. Aur hum kuch bhi nahi kar payenge kyunki law hai hi nahi."

Zameen pe rules banane mein sadiyaan lag gayi thi. Space ke liye time nahi tha. Rules abhi banane the — technology mature hone se pehle.

Aur yahin se kahani shuru hoti hai.

Chapter 2: Outer Space Treaty, 1967 — Space ka Sanvidhaan

Cold War ka time tha. America aur Russia ek doosre ki shakal bhi dekhna nahi chahte the. Lekin dono ko ek baat samajh mein aa gayi — space ka matter alag hai. Yahaan agar hum ladenge, toh dono haarenge.

Toh United Nations mein sab baithe. Saalon tak baat cheet chali. Har article pe fight hui. Kaunsa rule chahiye, kaunsa nahi. Aur finally, 27 January 1967 ko ek treaty sign hui — Outer Space Treaty (OST).

Ye treaty aaj tak space law ka "sanvidhaan" mani jaati hai. Iske core principles ko samjho ek ek karke, kyunki har principle ke peeche ek soch thi.

Pehla principle — koi country space ko apna nahi bol sakti. Article II saaf kehta hai — na Moon, na Mars, na koi asteroid, na koi bhi celestial body kisi ki personal property ban sakta hai. Chahe tum jhanda gaad do, chahe astronaut bhej do, chahe base bana lo — tumhara nahi hoga. Ye pura space "province of all mankind" hai.

Doosra principle — nuclear ya koi bhi mass destruction weapon orbit mein nahi daala jaayega. Article IV. Simple. Lekin dhyaan do — treaty conventional weapons ko clearly ban nahi karti. Sirf mass destruction ke weapons ko. Ye ek grey area hai jo aaj bhi debate ka mudda hai.

Teesra principle — private companies ka bhi zimma country ka hoga. Article VI. Ye aaj ke SpaceX-Blue Origin-ISRO era mein bahut important ho gaya hai. Agar SpaceX kisi ka satellite tod deta hai, toh America government responsible hogi, na ki sirf company. Ye ek unusual rule hai — normally international law mein private actions ke liye state responsible nahi hoti. Space mein hoti hai.

Chautha principle — astronauts sab ke saanjhe hain. Article V. Agar kisi bhi country ka astronaut tumhare desh mein girta hai emergency mein, tumhara farz hai use bacha ke wapas bhejo. Astronauts ko "envoys of mankind" kaha gaya.

Paanchwa — damage kiya toh bharpai karo. Agar kisi ka satellite tumhara kuch tod de, launching country zimmedaar hogi. Ye principle baad mein ek alag treaty mein detail hua.

Ye pura framework 110+ countries ne accept kiya — America, Russia, China, India, sab. Aaj bhi ye foundation hai.

Chapter 3: Baaki Treaties — Gaps Kaise Bhare Gaye

Principles toh set ho gaye. Lekin real life mein situations aane lagi. Astronaut kahi gir jaaye toh kya karein? Damage hua toh compensation kaise nikale? Objects register kaise honge?

Log soch rahe the — "General principles se kaam nahi chalega. Har situation ke liye specific rule chahiye."

Aur next 12 saalon mein 4 aur treaties banayi gayi.

Rescue Agreement, 1968 — astronaut agar kahin gir jaaye ya space object crash ho jaaye, us country ka farz hai use safely wapas karna. Ye Article V ka detailed version tha.

Liability Convention, 1972 — sabse interesting. Isme do alag rules ban gaye:

Agar space object zameen pe ya plane pe gira aur damage hua — launching country absolutely liable. Fault sabit karne ki zaroorat nahi. Simply — tumhara object, tumhari zimmedaari.

Agar damage space mein hua — ek satellite ne doosre ko toda — toh fault sabit karna hoga. Kya galti thi, kisne ki, kaise hui.

Ek famous case tha 1978 mein — Russia ka Kosmos 954 nuclear-powered satellite Canada mein gir gaya. Radioactive material phail gaya. Canada ne Liability Convention invoke ki. Russia ne partial settlement mein Canada ko paisa diya. Real world example.

Registration Convention, 1975 — har space object ka UN mein registration karna hoga. Kaunsa satellite hai, kab launch hua, kaunse orbit mein hai. Isse transparency aayegi, aur agar kabhi debris kisi ka tod de toh source pata chal jaayega.

Moon Agreement, 1979 — sabse ambitious tha. Isne kaha ki Moon aur uske resources "common heritage of mankind" hain. Jab bhi lunar mining shuru hogi, ek international regime banega jo fair share ensure karega.

Lekin yahaan ek problem ho gayi. Ye idea bahut aage nikal gayi thi. Major spacefaring countries — America, Russia, China, India — kisi ne bhi ise sign nahi kiya. Sirf 18 chhoti countries parties ban gayi. Result — Moon Agreement paper pe zinda hai lekin practically dead letter hai. Iska koi asar nahi hai.

Yahin gap se aaj ka lunar governance question shuru hota hai — jo hum ATLAC mein dekhenge.

Chapter 4: COPUOS — Space ki Sansad

Ab sochne wali baat — ye saari treaties banayi kisne? Kahaan pe? Kaise?

Iske liye ek permanent forum tha — COPUOS, matlab Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. UN ne 1959 mein banaya. Ye committee saal mein ek baar Vienna mein milti hai, jahaan UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) ka HQ hai.

COPUOS mein do subcommittees hain — ek Scientific and Technical (technical issues dekhta hai jaise debris mitigation, near-Earth objects), aur ek Legal (treaties aur norms banata hai).

Ek khaas baat — COPUOS consensus pe kaam karti hai. Matlab agar ek bhi country disagree kare, decision ruk jaata hai. Isliye progress dheema hai, lekin jo decision aata hai woh sab ki sehmati se aata hai. Ye legitimacy deta hai.

India shuruaat se COPUOS ki member hai. Aaj 100+ countries members hain.

ATLAC — Naya Layer

Ab modern twist. Pichhle kuch saalon mein Moon pe activity phat gayi hai. Chandrayaan-3, Chang'e missions, Artemis programme, private landers, planned lunar bases — sab ek saath ho raha hai.

Log soch rahe the — "itne saare missions Moon pe jaa rahe hain, coordinate kaun karega? Agar do country same landing site chunein toh? Agar ek mission doosre ka scientific site kharaab kar de toh? Consultation ka koi mechanism hi nahi hai."

Outer Space Treaty ka Article IX "consultation" bolta hai, lekin dhang se koi platform tha nahi.

Toh February 2025 mein COPUOS ne ek naya group banaya — ATLAC (Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation). Ye Romania aur Pakistan ki co-chairship mein kaam kar rahi hai. Kya karegi? Bas ek focused expert-level exchange chalegi — recommendations banegi ki lunar activities pe consultations kaise improve ho.

Ye baaki treaties ko replace nahi karti. Ye Article IX ke "upar" build karti hai. Idea hai ki future mein Moon ke liye ek proper coordination mechanism ban sake.

Iske parallel ek aur group hai — Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities — jo lunar resource use ke legal principles pe kaam kar raha hai. Dono milke lunar governance ka early architecture bana rahe hain.

UPSC ke liye ATLAC bilkul fresh topic hai — 2025 ka baby. Yaad rakhna.

Chapter 5: Water on Moon — 15 Saal ki Kahani

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Chapter 6: Shiv Shakti Point — Naam Kaise Approve Hua

Chapter 7: Moon ki Geography — Near Side, Far Side, aur Einstein Crater

Chapter 8: Lagrange Points — Space ke Parking Spots

Chapter 9: Space ka Kachra aur Kessler Syndrome

Chapter 10: Sab Milake — Space Governance ka Poora Frame

Closing — Ek Baat Yaad Rakhna

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Prelims Practice MCQs — Space Law aur Moon

5 practise MCQs — written for this article, not found in any PYQ paper.Create a free account

What we covered

Sputnik-1, 4 October 1957 — har desh ke aasman ke upar se, bina permissionAasman kahaan khatam, space kahaan shuru — woh sawaal jiska jawab tha hi nahiSpace ke rules technology ke MATURE hone se PEHLE likhe gayeOuter Space Treaty, 27 January 1967 — space ka sanvidhaanArticle II — koi celestial body kisi ki personal property nahi ban saktiArticle IV — sirf WMD ban hain; conventional military satellites nahiArticle V — astronauts 'envoys of mankind'Article VI — private companies ka zimma bhi country kaLaunching state ki liability — baad mein alag treaty baniRescue Agreement 1968 — astronaut aur object dono wapas karne ka farzLiability Convention 1972 — zameen pe ABSOLUTE, space mein FAULT-basedKosmos 954, Canada 1978 — Liability Convention ka ek hi real caseRegistration Convention 1975 — UN registry aur transparencyMoon Agreement 1979 — 'common heritage of mankind', aur kyun dead letter haiArtemis Accords — India ne June 2023 mein sign kiyeCOPUOS 1959 — Outer Space Treaty se bhi puranaConsensus rule — isliye 1979 ke baad koi naya UN space treaty nahiUNOOSA Vienna; Scientific-Technical aur Legal subcommitteesATLAC — February 2025, Romania aur Pakistan co-chairsATLAC Article IX ko replace nahi karti, uske upar build karti haiWorking Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource ActivitiesChandrayaan-1 aur Moon Mineralogy Mapper — 2009 ki paani wali discoveryLCROSS, 9 October 2009 — Centaur ko Cabeus mein crash karke paani dikhanaCabeus mein ~5.6% paani, saath mein hydrogen, CO, ammonia, methanePSRs — minus 240°C ke cold traps, aur isliye south pole ki keematChandrayaan-3, 23 August 2023 — south pole ke itne paas pehli landingIAU 1919, Paris — Gazetteer of Planetary NomenclatureIAU Rule 9 aur Statio Shiv Shakti ka 19 March 2024 approvalTidal locking aur 27.3 din — same face hamesha Earth ki tarafNear side ke maria versus far side ki moti, cratered crustChang'e-4 (2019) far-side landing; Chang'e-6 (2024) far-side samplesLibration — 59% surface, sirf 50% nahiEinstein Crater NEAR SIDE (western limb) pe hai — classic trapPaanch Lagrange points; L1/L2/L3 unstable, L4/L5 stableJWST L2 pe — ek sunshield se Sun, Earth aur Moon teenon blockHalo orbit aur station-keeping — propellant hi mission ki umar haiAditya-L1 — January 2024 se L1 pe, India ka pehla solar observatoryKessler Syndrome 1978 — runaway cascade ka darr35,000+ tracked debris, 10,000+ active satellitesChina ka 2007 ASAT test aur 2009 ka Iridium-Kosmos takraavDebris guidelines non-binding kyun hain — consensus rule ka nateejaIADC, IN-SPACe, NSIL aur Space Policy 2023