The White House believes that ice and other lunar resources that will help the United States establish a long-term human presence on the moon should be mined.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order (April 6) that defines US policy on the exploitation of extraterrestrial resources. This policy emphasizes that the current regulatory regime, in particular the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, allows the extraction of such resources.
This point of view has long dominated the US government circles. For example, the United States, like other major space powers, did not sign the 1979 Moon Treaty, which stipulates that the unscientific use of space resources is governed by an international regulatory framework. And in 2015, Congress passed legislation explicitly allowing American companies and citizens to use the resources of the moon and asteroids.
The new executive order underlines that the United States does not view space as a 'global commons' and sees a clear path to extracting resources outside of Earth, without the need for new international treaties.
According to a senior administration official during a teleconference with reporters, an executive order called 'Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources' has been in development for about a year. The decree was prompted, at least in part, to clarify the position of the United States, which is in talks with international partners to help advance NASA's Artemis program to land a man on the moon, the official added. (Collaboration with international partners remains important.)
Artemis aims to land two astronauts on the moon in 2024 and establish a sustainable human presence on and around Earth's satellite by 2028. Lunar resources, especially water ice believed to be abundant in permanently shaded polar craters, are key for NASA.
Article published by Space.
Sources: Photo: James Vaughan
