UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Lunar governance should be multilateral
Q1. The Outer Space Treaty, 1967 declares that the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit of all countries and shall be the "province of all mankind." In this context, the expression "province of all mankind" most precisely means that:
- A. exploration and use of outer space are free and open to all States without discrimination
- B. all resources of celestial bodies are jointly owned and must be shared through an international regime
- C. outer space is held in trust by the United Nations on behalf of member States
- D. space activities may be undertaken only after prior authorization from a UN committee
Q2. The Outer Space Treaty, 1967 was formally adopted on the basis of a resolution of which of the following?
- A. The UN General Assembly
- B. The UN Security Council
- C. The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space acting on its own authority
- D. The International Telecommunication Union
Q3. With reference to the Moon Agreement of 1979, consider the following statements:
1. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979.
2. It declares the Moon and its natural resources the common heritage of mankind.
3. It entered into force in 1984.
4. All major spacefaring powers, including the United States and Russia, are parties to it.
Which of the above are correctly identified?
- It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979.
- It declares the Moon and its natural resources the common heritage of mankind.
- It entered into force in 1984.
- All major spacefaring powers, including the United States and Russia, are parties to it.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the Moon Agreement, 1979 with the Outer Space Treaty, 1967:
1. The Moon Agreement calls for an international regime to govern the exploitation of lunar resources.
2. The Moon Agreement has far fewer States Parties than the Outer Space Treaty.
3. The Outer Space Treaty entered into force earlier than the Moon Agreement.
4. India has ratified the Moon Agreement but has not ratified the Outer Space Treaty.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The Moon Agreement calls for an international regime to govern the exploitation of lunar resources.
- The Moon Agreement has far fewer States Parties than the Outer Space Treaty.
- The Outer Space Treaty entered into force earlier than the Moon Agreement.
- India has ratified the Moon Agreement but has not ratified the Outer Space Treaty.
- A. 1 only
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4
Q5. As of mid-2026, the number of signatories to the Artemis Accords was closest to which of the following?
Q6. With reference to the principles of the Artemis Accords, consider the following:
1. Establishment of temporary "safety zones" to avoid harmful interference.
2. Commitment to interoperability of systems.
3. Transfer of all extracted space resources to a United Nations-administered common fund.
4. Public release of scientific data.
Which of the above are correctly identified as Artemis Accords principles?
- Establishment of temporary "safety zones" to avoid harmful interference.
- Commitment to interoperability of systems.
- Transfer of all extracted space resources to a United Nations-administered common fund.
- Public release of scientific data.
- A. 1, 2 and 4
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q7. The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is serviced, as its secretariat, by which of the following bodies?
- A. The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
- B. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- C. The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
- D. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Q8. With reference to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), consider the following statements:
1. It was set up by the UN General Assembly in 1959.
2. It has two standing subcommittees — the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee.
3. Both its subcommittees were established in 1961.
4. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations with its own membership treaty and independent budget.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- It was set up by the UN General Assembly in 1959.
- It has two standing subcommittees — the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee.
- Both its subcommittees were established in 1961.
- It is a specialized agency of the United Nations with its own membership treaty and independent budget.
- A. 1 only
- B. 4 only
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 2 only
Q9. With reference to India's position in space governance, consider the following statements:
1. India signed the Artemis Accords in 2023, becoming the 27th signatory.
2. India's Chandrayaan-3 achieved a soft landing near the lunar south polar region in 2023.
3. India is a ratifying party to the 1979 Moon Agreement.
4. India is a party to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Which of the above are correctly identified?
- India signed the Artemis Accords in 2023, becoming the 27th signatory.
- India's Chandrayaan-3 achieved a soft landing near the lunar south polar region in 2023.
- India is a ratifying party to the 1979 Moon Agreement.
- India is a party to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
- A. 1, 2 and 4
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 3 only
Q10. With Chandrayaan-3 in 2023, India became the first country in the world to achieve a soft landing near which region of the Moon?
- A. The south polar region
- B. The far side of the Moon
- C. The north polar region
- D. The equatorial Sea of Tranquility
Q11. With reference to the Artemis II mission (April 2026), consider the following statements:
1. It was the first crewed mission to travel to the vicinity of the Moon since the Apollo programme.
2. Its crew included an astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency.
3. It landed astronauts on the lunar surface.
4. Its crew set a record for the farthest distance humans have travelled from Earth.
Which of the above are correctly identified?
- It was the first crewed mission to travel to the vicinity of the Moon since the Apollo programme.
- Its crew included an astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency.
- It landed astronauts on the lunar surface.
- Its crew set a record for the farthest distance humans have travelled from Earth.
- A. 1, 2 and 4
- B. 1, 3 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q12. Consider the following statements contrasting national space-resource laws and the plurilateral model with the multilateral common-heritage model:
1. The US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, 2015 grants US citizens the right to own and sell space resources they obtain, whereas the Moon Agreement treats lunar resources as the common heritage of mankind.
2. The Artemis Accords hold that the extraction of space resources does not, by itself, constitute national appropriation under the Outer Space Treaty.
3. Luxembourg's space-resources law requires beneficiaries to transfer extracted resources to an international regime established under the Moon Agreement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, 2015 grants US citizens the right to own and sell space resources they obtain, whereas the Moon Agreement treats lunar resources as the common heritage of mankind.
- The Artemis Accords hold that the extraction of space resources does not, by itself, constitute national appropriation under the Outer Space Treaty.
- Luxembourg's space-resources law requires beneficiaries to transfer extracted resources to an international regime established under the Moon Agreement.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3