US legal developments in outer space mining

Abstract

In December 2020 NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) announced a contract with a private company to deliver Moon material to Earth, the first and only contract of this type to be concluded to date. The sum that will be paid for the services of Lunar Outpost company was set at 1 US dollar. Although the arrangement may seem like a publicity stunt to catch international media attention, it spurs a legal discussion on the actual degree of freedom to utilized outer space. This article is focused on describing the USA’s policy and legislation concerning the utilization of natural resources of outer space, and comparing it to the international legal framework of outer space activities.

Keywords

• space mining
• outer space treaty
• space industry
• appropriation