What’s the Purpose of the International Space Station?.Who Owns the International Space Station?.Viewing the International Space Station.Where Is the International Space Station?.The Romans had this all correctly figured out in their legal maxim: “What concerns all must be decided upon by all. The idea that American companies can on the basis of domestic laws alone systematically exploit mineral resources in space, despite huge environmental risks, really amounts to the audacity of greed. While the US has refused to sign up to this, it is binding as customary international law. Meanwhile, the Moon Agreement (1979) has in effect forbidden states to conduct commercial mining on planets and asteroids until there is an international regime for such exploitation. The treaty also states that outer space shall be the “province of all mankind … and that states shall avoid harmful contamination of space”. This therefore prevents the sale of space-based minerals for profit. Companies may also be allowed to extract certain resources, but the very first provision of the Outer Space Treaty (1967), to which the US is a signatory, is that such exploration and use shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries. WikiImages/pixabayĬurrently corporations can exploit outer space in a number of ways, including for space tourism and scientific training.
Who owns the international space station free#
Free market principles also apply to the operations of the International Space Station. Money is not a dirty word in space – the total value of the satellite telecommunications industry in 2013 was more than $195bn. Ultimately, the US plans must be understood in the light of existing rules of space law. While we’re not there yet, developments towards actual space mining may begin to occur within a decade. Indeed what right has the second highest polluter of the Earth’s environment got to proceed with some of the same corporations in a bid to plunder outer space? Mining minerals in space could also damage the environment around the Earth and eventually lead to conflict over resources. Similarly, if we started contaminating celestial bodies with microbes from Earth, it could ruin our chances of ever finding alien life there. That means that the pristine conditions of the cradle of nature from which our own Earth was born may become irrevocably altered forever – making it harder to trace how we came into being. These states may also shortly respond with mining programmes of their own. So what’s at stake? We can assume that the list of states that have access to outer space – currently a dozen or so – will grow. Space exploration is a universal activity and therefore requires international regulation.Įver since NASA discovered signs of liquid water on Mars, concerns have been raised about the risk of contaminating the red planet. Supporters argue that the US Space Act is a bold statement that finally sets private spaceflight free from the heavy regulation of the US government. Surely, this will see private firms begin to incorporate the mining of asteroids into their investment plans. The act will also allow the private sector to make space innovations without regulatory oversight during an eight-year period and protect spaceflight participants from financial ruin. The new law is nothing but a classic rendition of the “he who dares wins” philosophy of the Wild West. It goes against a number of treaties and international customary law which already apply to the entire universe. The legislation will give US space firms the rights to own and sell natural resources they mine from bodies in space, including asteroids.Īlthough the act, passed with bipartisan support, still requires President Obama’s signature, it is already the most significant salvo that has been fired in the ideological battle over ownership of the cosmos. An event of cosmic proportions occurred on November 18 when the US congress passed the Space Act of 2015 into law.
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