Steven Freeland on the Governance of Space Resource Activities

In the realm of space exploration, there's a growing focus on extracting resources from celestial bodies like the Moon and asteroids. This calls for a strong governance framework to ensure responsible and sustainable practices. International laws such as the Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Agreement provide the foundation, while initiatives like the Artemis Accords support commercial ventures. The UN's COPUOS Working Group is dedicated to addressing the legal and technical aspects of space resource activities, aiming to develop guidelines for their responsible use. Multilateralism is crucial for consensus among nations, with countries like China, Russia, and India actively participating. India, as a respected spacefaring nation, has a pivotal role to play, leveraging its expertise to shape global discussions on space resource governance.

However, it is important to ensure that such activities are carried out per obligations under international law. For example, Article II of the Outer Space Treaty prohibits the appropriation of outer space including celestial bodies. There are also concerns that if space resource activities are not governed properly, conflicts may arise in outer space and back on Earth. To facilitate an inclusive and multi-stakeholder dialogue on this issue, the UN COPUOS established the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities.

How will this multilateral initiative function? What promises does this initiative hold in shaping the norms and future of space resource activities? And what is India’s possible role in this initiative?

Episode Contributors

Steven Freeland is an emeritus professor at Western Sydney University and a former dean, specializing in international law. He represents Australia at UN COPUOS meetings and is a member of the Australian Space Agency Advisory Board. With extensive experience as a commercial lawyer and investment banker, Freeland has advised on space law and policy internationally and has authored numerous publications on international law. | https://www.weforum.org/people/steven-freeland/

Tejas Bharadwaj is a research analyst at Carnegie India, focusing on space law and AI applications in the military. He is involved with Carnegie India's Global Technology Summit and is a prospective member of the International Institute of Space Law. Bharadwaj has worked on global initiatives addressing light pollution from satellites and contributes to various international space law groups. | https://carnegieindia.org/experts/2199

Introduction - 00:00
Relevance of International Law - 11:21
The Working Group on Space Resource Activities - 26:26
The Need for Governance in Space Resource Activities - 34:09
The Importance of Multilateralism in Space Resource Governance - 45:58
Challenges of Reaching Consensus in Space Resource Governance - 57:40

Suggested Readings

1. Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities, UNOOSA
2. The Future of Geography: How Power and Politics in Space Will Change Our World by Tim Marshall
3. Space Resource Activities and the Evolution of International Space Law by Melissa De Zwart, Stacey Henderson and Michelle Neumann
4. International Conference on Space Resources

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