Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Project Khepri: Asteroid Mining Project. Final Policy Report, Aaron Groh, Brieanna Miklaucic, Valerie Oosterveld, Elizabeth Steyn

Institute for Earth and Space Exploration White Papers

Much like outer space, our legal system consists of many unknowns. This is especially true for new developments in emerging technologies, particularly those related to the exploration, exploitation, and utilization of space resources. The recently developed technical feasibility of space mining has advanced ahead of existing international space treaties. While certain articles of the major UN treaties can be interpreted to adapt to the utilization of space resources, most of these provisions were not originally designed to be applied to a space mining regime.

Keeping in mind this context, this paper sets out the current international law landscape, including the …