Sure, they’re billionaires, but the exploits of Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have undeniably brought space tourism a step closer. That raises tricky legal, ethical and environmental questions.
Governments and corporations must get serious about the legal, technical, economic, social and ethical implications of a potential space-based resource economy.
No country can lay claim to sovereignty over a planet, moon or rocky body. But in the absence of clear laws regulating mining in space, it’s a case of first in, best dressed for resource extraction.
Australia is playing a major role in developing legal guidelines that would govern how any war in space is played out. The authors of MILAMOS hope the manual is never actually required.
The rules on armed conflict on Earth are a major source of restraint on military operations. But the rules on the use of weapons in outer space are far from clear. We need to change that.