In 2015, Congress passed a law to allow American citizens and companies to use resources from the moon and asteroids. Now, they can mine the moon. On April 6, President Donald Trump found time to sign an executive order for U.S companies to mine the moon’s mineral resources amid a global pandemic.
The order, called Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources, is allowing mining operations without any international treaties. It’s evident that the administration doesn’t view space and celestial bodies as global commons.
The order states:
Outer space is a legally and physically unique domain of human activity, and the United States does not view space as global commons.
The order says that commercial partners will participate in an “innovative and sustainable program” regulated by the U.S. to “lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.” However, commercial units will need to recover and use resources, including certain lunar minerals, for it to be a successful long-term exploration in space.
It seems the U.S. is interested in the moon because they eventually want to build a sustainable settlement. In 2024, they will send one male and one female on the “Artemis 3 mission” to the moon’s south pole. The Adam and Eve astronauts will become the first moonwalkers of the 21st century. The couple will have a brief visit, but NASA plans for future missions to create “a sustainable lunar presence” by 2028.
Popular Mechanics wrote:
Scientists and researchers are investing a lot of time and resources in ways astronauts will be able to gather what’s around them on the moon or on Mars in order to make building materials, life-sustaining shelter, and even renewable fuel for people staying on these celestial bodies.
The Artemis mission is a program to create a waystation for a future U.S. voyage to Mars. However, it’s not clear how these long-term plans will work nor what role private companies will play.
