An international agreement adopted by the United Nations in 1963 and coming into force on 10 October 1967. Proposed by US president Dwight Eisenhower, it was based in part on the Antarctic Treaty of 1961, and sought to promote the peaceful use of outer space, stating that the exploration and use of outer space should be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development.