Russia is questioning a US-proposed global legal framework for mining on the moon, saying the document would have to be examined thoroughly to make sure it complies with international laws before it is officially proposed.
The draft agreement, called the Artemis Accords, would be the latest effort to attract allies to the US National Space Agency鈥檚 (NASA) plan to place humans and space stations on the celestial body within the next decade.
The Artemis Accords聽line-up with several聽public and private initiatives聽to extracting resources beyond Earth, but doesn鈥檛 include Russia among the early partners
It also lines-up with several public and private initiatives to fulfill the goal of extracting resources from asteroids, the moon and even other planets.
The pact, named after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration鈥檚 , doesn鈥檛 include Russia among the early partners, people familiar with the proposed pact told Reuters.
The Artemis Accords are expected to propose 鈥渟afety zones鈥� that would surround future moon bases. The idea is to prevent damage or interference from rival countries or companies operating in close proximity, Reuters鈥� sources said.
It also seeks to set a framework under international law for companies to extract and own the resources they mine beyond Earth.
This is not the first times US addresses space mining. In 2015,聽US Congress passed a bill聽explicitly allowing companies and citizens to mine, sell and own any space material.
That piece of legislation included a very important clause, stating that it did not grant 鈥渟overeignty or sovereign or exclusive rights or jurisdiction over, or the ownership of, any celestial body.鈥�
The section ratified the聽, signed in 1966 by the US, Russia, and a number of other countries, which states that nations can鈥檛 own territory in space.
Long-time coming
President Donald Trump has taken a consistent interest in asserting American power in space. Last year, he聽聽to conduct space warfare where needed.
In early April, he signed a controversial order encouraging citizens to mine the moon and other celestial bodies with commercial purposes.
The country鈥檚 space agency NASA had previously聽, which includes setting up a 鈥渂ase camp鈥� on the moon鈥檚 south pole.聽
The Kremlin has been pursuing plans in recent years聽to return to the moon, potentially travelling further into outer space.
In 2018, it created , a government-controlled entity responsible for a wide range and types of space flights and cosmonautics programs for聽Russia.
President Vladimir Putin has also聽聽to launch a mission to Mars 鈥渧ery soon.鈥�
Trillion-dollar market
The US and Russia aren鈥檛 the first nor the only nations to jump on board the lunar mining train.
尝耻虫别尘产辞耻谤驳,听聽to set its eyes on the possibility of mining celestial bodies,聽聽to boost exploration and commercial utilization of resources from Near Earth Objects.
Unlike NASA, LSA does not carry out research or launches. Its purpose is to accelerate collaborations between economic project leaders of the space sector, investors and other partners.
Thanks to the emerging European network, scientists聽announced last year聽plans to begin extracting resources from the moon聽as early as 2025.
The mission, in charge of the European Space Agency in partnership with ArianeGroup, plans to extract waste-free nuclear energy thought to be worth trillions.
Both China and India have also floated ideas about extracting Helium-3 from the moon鈥檚 natural satellite. Beijing has already landed on the moon twice in the 21st聽century, with more missions to follow.
In Canada, most initiatives have come from the private sector. One of the most touted was Northern Ontario-based聽Deltion Innovations partnership with Moon Express, the first American private space exploration firm to have been聽聽to travel beyond Earth鈥檚 orbit.
Space ventures in the works include聽, track space debris, build the聽, and billionaire Elon Musk鈥檚 own plan for an unmanned mission to the red planet.
Geologists, as well as emerging companies such as聽, a firm pioneering the space mining industry, believe asteroids are packed with iron ore, nickel and precious metals at much higher concentrations than those found on Earth, making up a market valued聽in the trillions.