Space Resources

Since the US passed their space resources law in 2015 interesting in space resources has grown considerably. The following years have seen a proliferation of such laws, and considerable discussions at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), which now has a working group on space resources. As NASA and China both pursue their own efforts to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon the question of lunar resources becomes increasingly pressing.

Space resources potentially offer a bounty for the future of humanity, however as with all resource bonanzas there is the potential for conflict and inequality. The challenge for space governance therefore is to ensure that space resources are used for the benefit of all humankind as the Outer Space Treaty envisions.

For more information:

• Space Resources Five Years After Title IV CSLCA 2015