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The United States has been working on a draft agreement that would regulate mining on the Moon, in addition to establishing “security zones” around extraterrestrial bases. However, the proposal excludes Russia, a major space power.
The Trump administration is working out the details of a plan that would give its potential mining activities on the Moon an appearance of legality, even if not all nations traveling into space, including major ones like Russia, are on board, one said. source to Reuters on Tuesday.
Citing US officials, the outlet reported that Washington will ask some of its allies, such as Canada, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and European nations, to sign an agreement regulating mining on the lunar surface in preparation for further human activity in the Moon. .
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The deal could pave the way for private companies to claim ownership of the resources they extract, some of which they hope to extract from the Moon for water, which can be turned into rocket fuel.
The proposed compact also provides for the establishment of “Security zones” around bases that, according to Washington’s vision, could soon appear on the Moon. The zones would vary in size depending on the “operation,” the source told Reuters.
While this provision could conflict with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty that prohibits all nations from making territorial claims on any part of a celestial body beyond Earth, the Trump administration will argue that the agreement aims to boost the coordination between the countries involved, and only reinforces the 1967 treaty.
The United States will begin to negotiate the pact with its allies. “In the next weeks.” However, at least in the “early” stages, the talks will not include Moscow, according to the report.
Moscow has repeatedly criticized Washington for its continued effort to make space the legal equivalent of the Wild West, including plans to militarize the outer realms and take territory on other planets.
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While it has yet to realize its designs to take over outer space, Washington has always noted the vast resources it has to offer. In 2015, for example, Congress passed a law that allows American companies and individuals to take advantage of the resources of the moon and asteroids.
Last month, Trump took that vision one step closer to realization, however, by signing an executive order declaring that the United States does not view space as “a global common good” and arguing that “Americans should have the right to participate in the commercial exploration, recovery and use of resources in outer space.”
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