How should we regulate the firms planning to mine and sell moon rocks?

Several companies are making plans to excavation and merchantability lunar resources, similar stone and h2o ice. Now the contention is connected to hold a ineligible model that is just for everyone

Space 13 September 2022

By Adam Mann

Companies are hoping to marque a mint from mining lunar resources

Nasa/Ryan Wills

BILL NELSON, the head of NASA, grinned for the cameras arsenic he handed implicit a cheque to Justin Cyrus, the brag of a institution called Lunar Outpost. The amount? A specified 10 cents. This infinitesimal past twelvemonth was partially a selling gimmick. But successful its ain unusual way, it was besides a legitimately important milestone: it marked the archetypal clip that a authorities bureau – oregon anyone other for that substance – had signed a woody to bargain earthy resources successful space.

If each goes to plan, aboriginal this twelvemonth Lunar Outpost volition usage a rover to scoop up immoderate lunar dust, drawback a photograph of it, and officially transportation ownership of the worldly to NASA. In return, the bureau volition wage a further fee, this time 90 cents to marque a circular dollar.

The sums whitethorn beryllium small, but this is the commencement of a caller epoch for humanity, 1 successful which the buying and selling of resources volition widen beyond our location satellite for the archetypal time. And though Lunar Outpost looks acceptable to beryllium 1 of the archetypal companies making wealth connected the moon, it volition beryllium rapidly followed by others. US plans to instrumentality radical to the lunar aboveground trust heavy connected partnering with companies.

There is conscionable …