After 50-year hiatus, international space mining treaties are on the table

A dozen nations have signed on Artemis Accords, a NASA initiative that focuses on peaceful use of astronomical objects

After a 50-year hiatus, international treaties about space exploration and exploitation are on the table. The Artemis Accords are an initiative by the US to hash out new agreements. Artemis is the code name for NASA’s mission to put humans on the Moon again in 2024.

The last major international agreements were the Outer Space Treaty (OST), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1967, followed by the Registration Convention of 1976. The OST articulated highfalutin principles and said little concrete. The Registration Convention asked signatories to furnish orbital details of manmade objects to prevent space collisions.

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