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Space mining and discoveries to outer space are among the topics that have been discussed for a long time. With the decree signed by the Trump administration, these discussions sparked even more. The United States officially “opened trade” into space.
The Obama administration signed the United States Space Mining Act (CSLCA) in 2015. This law allowed the environment to expand for the developing commercial space industry. In this way, it was legal to have the resources of American companies and their citizens of asteroids or points out of the world and sell these resources.
On April 6, the Trump administration went one step further by signing a decree granting rights to private companies to collect resources in space. This decision entitled Promoting International Support for the Use and Recovery of Space Resources also ended the conflict that started with the Outer Space Agreement in 1967 and lasted for decades.
Outer Space Agreement
With this decision, the United States withdrew from viewing space as “universal commons.” With the new decision, the debate that began with the agreement signed between the USA. The USA, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom at the top of the Space Race in 1967 was also the end of the debate.
The objective of this signed agreement was to establish a common structure to manage the activities of all the great powers in space. With this agreement, it was not only prohibited to test nuclear weapons in space, but also to take into account the interests of all humanity in the exploration and use of outer space. As of June 2019, the agreement was signed by 109 countries. In addition, 23 other countries have signed the agreement but have not yet completed the ratification process.
Space mining
The US administration USA He sees this law as a supplement to Space Directive 1 (Space Directive), which emphasizes the importance of the trade association in the discovery of the Artemis and NASA Project on Mars and beyond. In the directive; It is emphasized that for scientific discovery and long-term soundings of the Moon, Mars, and other space objects to be successful, it is necessary to partner with commercial companies.
One of NASA’s long-term goals is to create a permanent lunar sounding program. This includes setting up the Lunar Gateway and the Lunar Base Camp on the surface of the Moon. Of these structures; It is believed to allow long-term residency, extensive scientific research, and even refueling on site.
Companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries have argued that the space should be open to mining and commercial exploration for years. Peter Diamandis, founder of formations like X Prize and HeroX, and famous scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson say the world’s first trillionaires will have their fortune from asteroid mining.
Resettlement?
Of course, not everyone supports these space-related business initiatives. The Russian space agency Roscosmos condemned this decree and said it was like colonization. Roscosmos manager Sergey Saveliev said the following about the decree:
“Attempts to confiscate outer space and take over regions in outer space do not lead countries to a productive union. There are several examples in history of what a country does to expand its regions, then everyone remembers what happened next. “
Saveliev is not alone in connecting the space industry with the era of imperialism. Dr. from the Institute for Business Research at the Oslo Metropolitan University. Victor Shammas and independent researcher Tomas Holen published an article in Palgrave Communications.
Shammas and Holen stated in their article titled “A Great Step For The Capitalist Genre: Private Companies In Outer Space” that the discoveries of commercial space will create disproportionate interests among people. SpaceX and similar initiatives are claimed to be no different from marine settlers and commercial explorers.
Among all these discussions, the United States officially “opened trade” to space and the Moon. So what do you think of this? Do you think opening space for commercial companies is the beginning of the new colonial period? Or is it the beginning of one of the great leaps in human history? You can share your ideas with us in the comments section.
