Legal
Rescue Agreement
The 1968 Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space, obliging states to assist personnel in distress and return recovered space objects.
The Rescue Agreement expands on Article V of the Outer Space Treaty. It requires states to take all possible steps to rescue and assist astronauts in distress and to return them safely to the launching authority.
It also obliges states to return space objects, or component parts, found within their territory to the launching state upon request. The agreement is one of the five core UN space treaties and reflects the principle that astronauts are "envoys of mankind."