INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The international community has struggled for decades to formalize rules regarding the collection and use of resources in space and on the
While the United States and all spacefaring countries declined to endorse the most famous attempt, the 1979 &Moon Treaty,& the new Moon
race has spurred the White House to announce it is open to a new international agreement on the topic.
In an executive order issued today,
the administration signaled that it will be the policy going forward to &encourage international support for the public and private recovery
and use of resources in outer space.
The order doesn''t impose anything but remains a mere statement of policy, so this is just an initial
But it an indication that the United States wishes to move forward with a new framework regarding the use of resources in space.
NASA
details how it plans to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon
The question of which laws apply (including property laws and
border agreements) once you leave the surface of the Earth is a complex one; even if it weren''t, many laws and rules on the topic were
written or conceived of during a very different space age and various forms of Cold War
Considering the present boom in the space business and the impending colonization of near-Earth bodies like the Moon and potentially
asteroids, new rules are clearly necessary.
As it stands, there is very little in the way of official legal status for materials harvested
on the Moon, brought there to stay, shared with other countries and so on
Which authorities on Earth are going to arbitrate disagreements? How will we prevent the lunar surface from being disfigured by a commercial
mining operation blowing chunks of regolith into orbit?
Like the lack of rules surrounding filling the sky with communications satellites,
and the resulting global outcry, it clear something needs to be done
But even the scope of the rules is in question
Should things like property rights on the Moon be considered? If so, considering the complexity of that question, would the rules be
finished in time to avert the conflicts they&re intended to? But if not, why not? And when will they be considered?
As you can see, this is
a pretty big can of worms the United States is planning on opening, but it has to be done sooner or later.
To that end, the United States
will &seek to negotiate joint statements and bilateral and multilateral arrangements with foreign states regarding safe and sustainable
operations for the public and private recovery and use of space resources,& the executive order reads.
No doubt there are high-level talks
already in progress, or else the administration would likely not find it expedient to publicly declare support for a new approach to space
Doubtless every other country planning commercial use of space is ready to take part — but that doesn''t mean negotiations will be simple
