Calling Off The Race
A new space race has already begun. In 2008, the Indian Space Research Organisation crashed a probe into the moon, revealing ice deposits on the Moon. Since then, space faring nations, large corporate organisations, and space technology start-ups have taken steps to create astronomical fortunes. They plan to mine the Moon and asteroids. In fact, there have been predictions that the first trillionaire will come from asteroid mining. But organisations must not focus time and precious resources above Earth because there is a lack of space laws, and military conflict could ensue. Additionally, the full effects of landing spacecraft on the Moon are not yet known, but there are negative environmental effects. For these reasons, mining resources in outer space should not occur soon. The new space race must be put off.
Currently, there are only five outer space laws. One of those, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty is often given the moniker of the Magna Carta of space. There is an article which states that outer space cannot be “claim[ed] by sovereignty”. It does not, however, explicitly ban commercial entities, which is what start-ups such as Planetary Resources and private companies such as Deep Space Industries have been attempting to exploit. The lack of frameworks has even prompted Gbenga Oduntan, a senior lecturer in international law, to call outer space the “new Wild West”. This came after President Obama signed into law an act which allowed companies owned by US citizens to claim resources of outer space and to sell them. The murkiness which surrounds owning and selling space resources is a trigger for conflicts. This is especially true after China, one of the most powerful and influential nations, has vowed to have a Moon base by 2030. The truth is, there are just simply very little laws, and nations and corporations alike will fight for such prized wealth. In fact, Silicon Valley has become so powerful, one organisation illegally launched satellites. There are very few space laws, which will cause conflicts, and the existing ones are no obstacle for Silicon Valley, and the immense power and authority they command.
Many articles on asteroid mining have only discussed the positive aspects. Hardly any have given thought about the environmental effects of mass space travel. It has consequently led Australian space archaeologist Alice Gorman to conclude that space is viewed as a “resource” available to be “exploited”. Greed and ambition have become so ingrained into human culture and instinct that it has obscured our larger vision and the consequences of our actions. It is quite obvious that these blindfolds will only create oversights, regret, blame, and conflict. Planetary Resources and other deep space companies claim, in highly egalitarian and humanitarian language, that they will be the saviours of earth’s natural resource issue. Additionally, there is concrete evidence that ozone is worn down through rocket plummets, which is highly contradictory. They bill themselves as the ones who are “redefining natural resources”, yet only seem to be harming Earth’s environment, the one where most people are affected. Of course, the charm offensive by these pretentious companies is only perpetuated by innocent looking sites who echo myths on space, which is apparently not an “ecosystem to destroy”. A final prime example would be when Exxon hid details that fossil fuel causes climate change. It is salient that the tides of the opinionated public cannot be flushed out. There are inherent dangers with mass space exploration; a powerful corporate-profit-driven motive does not and cannot change that.
It is at this point that the altruistic ones in the pro-mining camp will argue vehemently for space exploration. They will point out that setting up space bases benefit humanity and colonising other planets will give humanity any hope of survival. However, do these selfless corporate businesses really believe that no human lives will be endangered in what would be a long and arduous process? (Notice the oxymoron there!) The public lost all faith in space exploration after the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster. Problems with the space shuttle were already known, but no actions were taken. The lives of seven crew members were tragically taken. Although advanced technology would decrease the chances of such an event, there are still no guarantees. It was a trivial piece of foam which brought down Columbia. The smallest details are crucial. A sophisticated system such as a spaceship has many components and every tiny instrument matters. Spaceflight is dangerous. Many components need to be accurately working. If dreams of deep space exploration to save humanity are to become a reality, then the lives of many people will be endangered.
The discovery of precious resources found in abundance in outer space has mobilised cosmic waves of activity. Spacefaring nations, armed to the brim with destructive weapons, and large corporations, equally armed with power and money, have begun a new space race. But this race should be called off because this race does not have many rules to stop its beastly participants, for this race will cause environmental damage, and this race will kill its runners and spectators. This race is nothing but a disaster biding its time slowly.
https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2019/july/1561989600/ceridwen-dovey/mining-moon
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Golden-Asteroid-Worth-700-Quintillion.html#
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613758/asteroid-mining-bubble-burst-history/
https://www.planetaryresources.com
https://science.howstuffworks.com/asteroid-mining.htm
https://mashable.com/feature/asteroid-mining-space-economy/
https://theconversation.com/australia-can-pick-up-its-game-and-land-a-moon-mission-121109
