Who Owns Space?

    • Dheeraj.Jangra@timesgroup.com
    • Publish Date: May 27 2016 7:59PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Aug 4 2016 8:45PM
Who Owns Space?

We are in the golden age of space exploration and with each passing day we are venturing deep into the space. It’s inevitable that the question about the governorship of outer space and the ownership of celestial bodies (Moon, asteroids, planets etc) must be asked and answered. Let’s imagine that its year 2070. A big asteroid full of precious metals is making a close pass by Earth. Two countries —US and China—decided to tow this celestial body for mining precious metals. So who has the right to mine the asteroid? If we go by the present space laws, there is no clear answer.

Currently exploration of space is controlled by the UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967. A 129 countries, including China, Russia, the UK and the US, are signatories to this treaty, which is overseen by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. It says that “the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind.” But the treaty is marred by loopholes. When it was drafted, exploitation of space and its resources was very much still a matter of science fiction.  

The second biggest treaty governing the space law is the Moon Agreement (1979). But it’s a non-starrer as only 16 countries have ratified it. Last year the US congress passed the Space Act of 2015 into law. The legislation will give US space firms the rights to own and sell natural resources they mine from bodies in space, including asteroids. But it doesn’t let them outrightly own an asteroid.  As you can see that unless we frame clear cut policies, the future exploitation of the ‘final frontier’ could ignite tensions between nations. 

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Comments

Aavni Sharma Holy Angels Public School

We cannot go against the laws of space.Humans shouldn''t become greedy for their own needs these are celestial bodies and let them be free.

Tanish arora CAMBRIDGE FOUNDATION SCHOOL

The way humans have exploited earth and its reaources so much so that it has got so many wounds like global warming, melting of glaciers, extreme seasons, ozone layer widening etc etc, and a threat for humans and other livings..We should learn a lesson from this catastrophe Nd not thinking about sharing spacious things before hand long before their discoveries even .....its nothing but human greeddddd....Human want to exploit spacious resources also now......and fight for its ownership vry sad

NAVYA MALHOTRA SWARAJ INDIA PUBLIC SCHOOL

We are just a very small part of it

Ananya Rai Kendriya Vidayalaya 1 AFS

I guess that as time will pass new rules regarding explorations of space will be introduced and it will be the duty of all the countries to abide by it. I guess this organisation will be somewhat like United Nations of present time and it would not be ruled by any one country.

Dhruvi Moliya Hillwoods school

No one OWNS the SPACE and there should be no curse between rich countries on this topic as be belong to the space ,earth not the earth or space belong to us.

Aarush Mehrotra Silver Oaks International School, Bangalore

This is indeed confusing. What we should do is let richer countries mine the asteroid, but let poor nations take the money earnt. This will let the world develop a little more evenly...

SANTHOSHKUMAR A G SHREE NIKETAN MAT -

Space is not the thing to be owned because it is a natural power and even though technology play a significant role in the world a natural thing can''t be owned by anyone... Owning a natural resource or anything may give us pride but it harms us internally as we use it for our own convenient also it creates a lots of problem between the people..

B. THANISH VARDHAN PON VIDYASHRAM

Humans cannot own planets ,

Darshil Shah ST. XAVIERS - LOYOLLA -2 LOYOLLA 2

We should not interfere in the lives of the extraterrestrial beings. They also have their own privacy. Fidgeting with the Space in these matters can cause a great damage.

Prakash.B Bethel Mat Hr Sec School

We cannot go against the law of space and we are a part of it....

Samueal Raj Bethel Mat Hr Sec School

Earth is a gift to mankind we should try to save it rather than searching new planets and life.

Aditya Khairnar D.A.V Public School, Thane

how is the galaxies ,stars,blackholes,and other likewise luminious and non luminious objectsa and celestial bodies were made? was it nebula hmmmmm....... right or anything other????

Raju kumar Sree Narayana Vidya Bhavan

it is not in my hand..

Nithya.s V V S SARDAR PATEL HIGH SCHOOL RJR

The Earth is round and the Earth goes around the sun

N.BHANU KIRAN Sree Narayana Vidya Bhavan

w r not seeing that and we r small part of it

Sujay Mohanty Ryan International School

Laws are sometimes meant to be broken. I we are creating a hue and cry about mining asteroids, lets not hunt for other planets to be establish colonies.

AMRITANSH SHARMA Sandipani

According to the laws, no county can blame anything which is naturally outside Earth and if any place is not owned by any country, International Marine Law applies there. So, Space is International Waters. Source- The Martian by Andy weir

N.BHANU KIRAN Sree Narayana Vidya Bhavan

We are not seeing and we are small part of it

Dilsher Singh Chatha Bhavan Vidyalaya Panchkula

After the exploitation of the earth the humans are now after other planets and asteroids . Aren''t humans satisfied by harming the earth that they are now after other heavenly bodies? No this should not happen at all. It wouldn''t be beneficial for anyone.

Ronit.R National Hill View Public School

Space is at this moment a no-man''s land and it''s exploration is not being governed by any particular organization or a government.We must agree that we are just a small part of space and should respect it

Gargi Kshirsagar VEER BHAGAT SINGH-MALAD(W)

its very informative

Ronak mulani FR AGNEL MULTIPURPOSE SCHOOL-AMBERN

There are millions of galaxies in this universe and we are a small part of it. Humans have no right to take an ownership of these celestial bodies around. Its against the nature''s law.

piyush gupta MOTHER''S GLOBAL.SCH.(PREET VIHAR)

it is absolutely impossible to own the space .

k.preetham reddy Mount Litera Zee High School

It was very informative

Atharva Vaidya Akshara International School

The fact that it''s impossible to own space should be realized by the countries.

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