The government of Mexico announced Dec. 9 that it is signing the U.S.-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration.
Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Mexico's secretary of foreign relations, announced that Mexico would become the fourteenth country to sign the Artemis Accords, a document addressing various issues regarding safe and sustainable space exploration, many of which are directly tied to the Outer Space Treaty and other international accords.
In a statement, Ebrard said Mexico looked forward to participating in NASA's Artemis program of lunar exploration, but did not disclose details regarding the role he thought the country would play in the effort. He said that, during the Apollo program a half century ago, "we were spectators, now we are going to be participants. It is a great step for Mexico."
[...] NASA announced the Artemis Accords in October 2020 with an initial group of eight signatories. Five others later joined before Mexico, most recently Poland [on] Oct. 26. The countries who have signed include both traditional partners of the United States in space, such as Canada, Japan and several European nations, as well as emerging space nations like Brazil, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
Previously: NASA Wants Partner Nations to Agree to "Artemis Accords" for Lunar Exploration
Could Corporations Control Territory in Space? Under New US Rules, It Might Be Possible
Legal Questions Linger as Governments and Companies Keep Pushing Into Space
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NASA's 'Artemis Accords' set forth new and old rules for outer space cooperation
NASA's plan to return to the Moon is ambitious enough on its own, but the agency is aiming to modernize international cooperation in space in the process. Today it published a summary of the "Artemis Accords," a new set of voluntary guidelines that partner nations and organizations are invited to join to advance the cause of exploration and industry globally.
Having no national affiliation or sovereignty of its own, space is by definition lawless. So these are not so much space laws as shared priorities given reasonably solid form. Many nations already take part in a variety of agreements and treaties, but the progress of space exploration (and soon, colonization and mining, among other things) has outpaced much of that structure. A fresh coat of paint is overdue and NASA has decided to take up the brush.
[...] First, the rules that could be considered new. NASA and partner nations agree to:
- Publicly describe policies and plans in a transparent manner.
- Publicly provide location and general nature of operations to create "Safety Zones" and avoid conflicts.
- Use international open standards, develop new such standards if necessary and support interoperability as far as is practical.
- Release scientific data publicly in a full and timely manner.
- Protect sites and artifacts with historic value. (For example, Apollo program landing sites, which have no real lawful protection.)
- Plan for the mitigation of orbital debris, including safe and timely disposal of end-of-life spacecraft.
Also at The Verge, Ars Technica, and Reuters.
Could corporations control territory in space? Under new US rules, it might be possible:
First, the Artemis Accords go beyond simply rejecting the unpopular 1979 Moon Agreement, which declared lunar resources to be the "common heritage of mankind" and committed parties to establish an international regime to oversee space mining. Only 18 countries have signed the treaty.
In its place, the accords envisage a US-centric framework of bilateral agreements in which "partner nations" agree to follow US-drafted rules.
Second, the accords introduce the concept of "safety zones" around lunar operations.
Although territorial claims in space are prohibited under international law, these safety zones would seek to protect commercial and scientific sites from inadvertent collisions and other forms of "harmful interference". What kinds of conduct could count as harmful interference remains to be determined.
Previously:
(2020-06-02) Third European Service Module for Artemis Mission to Land Astronauts on the Moon
(2020-05-16) NASA Wants Partner Nations to Agree to "Artemis Accords" for Lunar Exploration
(2020-03-12) CoronaVirus (SARS-CoV-2) Roundup 2020-03-12
(2018-07-22) Who Owns The Moon? A Space Lawyer Answers
(2018-03-07) China to Recruit Civilian Astronauts, Partner With Russia on Upcoming Missions
(2018-01-09) Russia Assembles Engineering Group for Lunar Activities and the Deep Space Gateway
(2017-10-18) Bigelow and ULA to Put Inflatable Module in Orbit Around the Moon by 2022
(2015-11-26) Who Owns Space? USA's Asteroid-Mining Act is Dangerous and Potentially Illegal
Robert Heinlein explored the notion in a novel. Does the future of space exploration lie with governments or corporations?
Legal questions linger as governments and companies keep pushing into space:
The Perseverance rover's landing on Mars is still fresh in people's memories, privately owned companies are ferrying people and supplies into orbit, and NASA continues to work on "the most powerful rocket" it has ever built. But as world governments and private enterprises continue to eye the skies for opportunities, a SXSW panel called "Who on Earth should govern Space" makes clear that the laws dealing with space aren't evolving as fast as the technology that gets us there.
"People like to think of space as the Wild Wild West — nothing out there, there's open frontier, we can do whatever we want," said Michelle Hanlon, president of For All Moonkind, a non-profit devoted to preserving mankind's cultural heritage in space. "Unfortunately or fortunately, that's not true at all."
Hanlon was referring to the Outer Space Treaty, which was developed in 1966 and ratified by over 60 countries in early 1967. Considering the treaty was put into effect a full two years before mankind landed on the moon, it's little surprise that the document is heavy on broad principles, but light on specifics. Among its greatest hits: outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all states; states should avoid harmful contamination of space; celestial bodies shall only be used for peaceful purposes; and, perhaps most importantly, the assertion that outer space isn't subject to claims of sovereignty by Earth-bound governments.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Monday December 13 2021, @10:26AM (10 children)
Unless the US plans to legally ship underpaid Mexican workers to orbital factories, I fail to see how any of this makes any sense or amounts to anything for Mexico.
I have a feeling it's another one of those silly "space agreements" that let nations that can't make their population believe they're involved in the game somehow. Hint: the Mexican space program is not as advanced as the US' - which itself isn't as advanced as Russia's anymore either.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 13 2021, @11:33AM (3 children)
Russia, more advanced? Who drilled the hole in the ISS?
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Monday December 13 2021, @12:53PM (2 children)
That one woke murrican bitch Serena Auñón-Chancellor did this very sabotage.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 13 2021, @01:11PM (1 child)
No, it was a Russian technician who had one bottle too much vodka on the job. Thanks for playing, Ivan.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 13 2021, @02:41PM
It's OK. Nothing some J-B Weld couldn't fix.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 13 2021, @12:34PM (3 children)
It's going to work just like Mexico's "assistance" in World War 2. American men go to space, Mexican men come to USA and fuck the American women.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 13 2021, @07:32PM
Protip: the clitoris is found on terra, unless you bring your wife with you but then your bigotry is only left with misogyny and that is rarely an aphrodesiac.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 14 2021, @01:05AM (1 child)
Zoom Suit Riots? [history.com]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday December 14 2021, @07:32AM
Not wanting to defend the rioters, but have you seen a zoot suit? It looks like something someone bought from War on Want that was eight sizes too big for them and smelled of mothballs, I can see someone getting beaten up for crimes against fashion and/or smell for wearing one of those things.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday December 13 2021, @01:06PM
I think you have Russia's present day space program confused with its past space program. NASA has weathered that better, probably because of SpaceX and a huge tax revenue stream.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 13 2021, @03:08PM
NASA told them they found cocaine on the moon. The Cartel Space Program is ready to start mining, NASA offered assistance in getting them into orbit but the cartel turned them down as they claim to have all the expertise they need to get people high.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 13 2021, @12:03PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB4KDusp114 [youtube.com]
(Score: -1, Troll) by Mockingbird on Tuesday December 14 2021, @01:03AM
Little did anyone realize that this was what Trump was talking about when he said "Mexico will pay for it."