The Artemis Accords on Human Sovereignty in Space

A Legal Framework for the Ethical Governance and Control of Corporate and National Entities in Extraterrestrial Domains

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Preamble

Recognizing that the expansion of humanity into the solar system represents the next great step in our collective journey,

Conscious of the profound risks posed by the application of terrestrial corporate and national rivalries to the extraterrestrial domain, including the potential for the creation of unregulated sovereign enclaves, human exploitation, and the erosion of fundamental rights,

Determined to prevent a future where space becomes a frontier of lawlessness or a laboratory for the optimization of human beings for proprietary purposes,

Reaffirming that human rights are universal, inalienable, and are not contingent upon location, citizenship, or the jurisdiction under which one is born,

Hereby agree to the following binding framework, to be known as The Artemis Accords on Human Sovereignty in Space, to ensure that the final frontier remains a domain of human dignity, law, and shared prosperity.

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Part I: Foundational Definitions

• 1.1. Person: Any member of the species Homo sapiens, regardless of genetic modification, gestational environment, or location. Rights granted to a "Person" are inherent and inalienable.
• 1.2. Habitat: Any artificial structure, vehicle, or installation located off-world and designed to sustain human life for a period exceeding 30 days.
• 1.3. Corporate Entity: Any corporation, company, partnership, joint venture, or other private commercial organization, including all subsidiaries and proxies.
• 1.4. Nation-State: A sovereign state recognized by the international community.
• 1.5. Signatory: Any Nation-State that has ratified this Accord.

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Part II: The Charter of Inalienable Human Rights in Space

These rights follow the Person, not the territory. Any violation, regardless of where it occurs, shall be considered a breach of this Accord.

• 2.1. Right to Universal Jurisdiction: Every Person in space retains the rights and protections of their citizenship and is subject to the law of the Habitat's registering Signatory. No Person may be stripped of legal recourse or declared stateless by a Corporate Entity.
• 2.2. Right to Repatriation: Every Person, or their legal guardian, has the unconditional right to return to the territory of a Signatory Nation-State of their choosing at the Corporate Entity's expense.
• 2.3. Right to Natural Baseline: Every Person has the right to be born and develop under Earth-standard environmental conditions (1G, standard atmospheric pressure, natural light cycles) unless a specific, therapeutic medical need dictates otherwise, with informed consent.
• 2.4. Right to Unfettered Communication: Every Person has the right to access secure, uncensorable, and untraceable communication with individuals and organizations outside their Habitat, free from corporate monitoring or interference.
• 2.5. Right to Democratic Governance: Any Habitat with a sustained population exceeding 100 individuals must establish an elected civilian governance body with authority over non-essential corporate policy, budget transparency, and resident welfare. No Corporate Entity may simultaneously serve as the sole government.

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Part III: Prohibitions and Obligations

Section A: Prohibitions on Human Exploitation

• 3.1. Prohibition on Human Engineering for Labor: It is a crime against humanity to engage in heritable genetic modification or environmental conditioning of Persons for the purpose of enhancing labor capacity, combat effectiveness, or any other non-therapeutic commercial or military function.
• 3.2. Prohibition on Corporate Paramilitary Forces: No Corporate Entity may maintain, train, or deploy armed forces not under the direct command and control of a Signatory Nation-State's military. This includes the deployment of autonomous or semi-autonomous lethal drone swarms.
• 3.3. Prohibition on Sovereign Corporate Enclaves: No Habitat may be declared or operated as a jurisdiction exempt from the laws of a Signatory Nation-State. The principle of extraterritorial jurisdiction is absolute.

Section B: Obligations of Corporate and National Entities

• 3.4. Mandatory Benefit Corporation Status: Any Corporate Entity operating a Habitat or conducting large-scale resource extraction off-world must be legally re-registered as a Benefit Corporation (B-Corp), with its charter mandating a balance of profit and public good.
• 3.5. The Digital Omniscience & Transparency Protocol (DOTP): All Habitats must transmit a continuous, encrypted, and unfalsifiable stream of key environmental and social data to the International Space Inspection Authority (ISIA). This includes air quality, gravity levels, and anonymized health metrics.
• 3.6. The Remote Governance Circuit: All Habitats must be equipped with a standardized, internationally-managed override system that controls critical life support, docking, and external communications. This circuit is to be operated by the ISIA in cases of extreme emergency or non-compliance.

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Part IV: Implementation and Enforcement

Enforcement shall be multi-layered, proportionate, and subject to the highest standards of due process and transparency.

Section A: The Enforcement Bodies

• 4.1. The International Space Inspection Authority (ISIA): An independent body mandated to:
  • Conduct regular, unannounced inspections of all Habitats.
  • Monitor and verify the DOTP data streams.
  • Manage the Compliance Bond system.
  • Operate the Remote Governance Circuit in accordance with this Accord.
• 4.2. The International Space Court (ISC): A judicial body with the authority to:
  • Adjudicate disputes and violations of this Accord.
  • Exercise universal jurisdiction over Corporate Entities and their executives.
  • Issue international arrest warrants.
  • Pierce the corporate veil to assign personal criminal liability to executives for violations.
  • Order the seizure of global assets and the dissolution of non-compliant Corporate Entities.
• 4.3. The Authorized Interdiction Force (AIF): A multinational rapid-response force under the exclusive command of the ISC. Its mandate is strictly limited to:
  • Intervening to stop ongoing, catastrophic human rights abuses.
  • Securing Habitats during ISC-mandated quarantines.
  • Extracting personnel at risk.
  • The AIF is forbidden from engaging in corporate disputes or asset seizure for non-humanitarian reasons.

Section B: The Enforcement Mechanisms

• 4.4. The Financial Levers:
  • Compliance Bonds: Prior to receiving an operating license, a Corporate Entity must post a multi-billion dollar performance bond with the ISIA. Violations of this Accord trigger automatic, pre-determined fines levied against this bond.
  • Insurance & Charter Revocation: The ISIA will issue a "Human-Compliant" certification. Without it, a Corporate Entity cannot obtain liability insurance or operate. Loss of certification results in the immediate revocation of its charter and a global freeze on its assets.
• 4.5. The Physical Levers:
  • Remote Quarantine: In cases of egregious violation, the ISIA may remotely suspend a Habitat's docking and external communication capabilities, effectively quarantining it until compliance is restored.
  • Authorized Intervention: As a final resort, the ISC may deploy the AIF to physically intervene to protect human life.

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Part V: Signatory and Ratification

• 5.1. Any Nation-State may become a Signatory to this Accord through formal ratification.
• 5.2. Signatories agree to incorporate the principles of this Accord into their national laws and to enforce its provisions against all Corporate Entities operating under their jurisdiction.
• 5.3. Signatories agree to recognize and uphold the rulings of the ISC and to cooperate with the ISIA and AIF.
• 5.4. No entity, corporate or national, may conduct operations off-world without first agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Accord.

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Conclusion

This Accord establishes that space is not a lawless frontier, but an extension of human civilization. It binds our ambition to our ethics, ensuring that as we reach for the stars, we do not lose our humanity. The rights enshrined herein are the bedrock upon which a just and prosperous future among the planets will be built.