{"id":92520,"date":"2020-10-19T15:55:20","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T12:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/countries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric\/"},"modified":"2020-10-19T15:55:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T12:55:20","slug":"countries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/countries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric\/","title":{"rendered":"#Countries won\u2019t sign this Moon exploration agreement because it\u2019s too \u2018US-centric\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36649c5d457\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36649c5d457\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/countries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric\/#Natural_allies\" >Natural allies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/countries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric\/#Controversial_issues\" >Controversial issues<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Countries won\u2019t sign this Moon exploration agreement because it\u2019s too \u2018US-centric\u2019<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            Eight countries have signed the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/artemis-accords\/index.html\">Artemis Accords<\/a>, a set of guidelines surrounding the Artemis Program for crewed exploration of the Moon. The United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates , and the US are now all participants in the project, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2024 and establish a crewed lunar base by 2030.<\/p>\n<p>This may sound like progress. Nations have for a number of years struggled with the issue of how to govern a human settlement on the Moon and deal with the management of any resources. But a number of key countries have serious concerns about the accords and have so far refused to sign them.<\/p>\n<p>Previous attempts to govern space have been through painstakingly negotiated international treaties. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unoosa.org\/oosa\/en\/ourwork\/spacelaw\/treaties\/outerspacetreaty.html\">The Outer Space Treaty 1967<\/a> laid down the foundational principles for human space exploration \u2013 it should be peaceful and benefit all mankind, not just one country. But the treaty has little in the way of detail. The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unoosa.org\/oosa\/en\/ourwork\/spacelaw\/treaties\/intromoon-agreement.html\">Moon Agreement of 1979<\/a> attempted to prevent commercial exploitation of outer-space resources, but only a small number of states have ratified it \u2013 the US, China, and Russia haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>Now that the US is pursuing the Artemis Program, the question of how states will behave in exploring the Moon and using its resources has come to a head. The signing of the accords represents a significant political attempt to codify key principles of space law and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ly them to the program. You can hear more about some of the governance issues facing nations who want to explore the Moon in the podcast <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/to-the-moon-and-beyond-4-whats-the-point-of-going-back-to-the-moon-120791\">To the moon and beyond<\/a>, see the link below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.acast.com\/5e3bf1111a6e452f6380a7bc\/episodes\/5e3bf133659d595770f8b907?theme=default&amp;cover=1&amp;latest=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"110px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The accords are bilateral agreements and not binding instruments of international law. But by establishing a practice in the area, they could have a significant influence on any subsequent governance framework for human settlements on Mars and beyond.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Natural_allies\"><\/span>Natural allies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>All seven partners who have agreed to the accords with the US are natural collaborators on the Artemis Program and will easily adhere to the stated principles. Japan is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2020\/07\/22\/1005546\/why-japan-jaxa-nasas-most-important-space-partner-artemis-moon-gateway\/\">keen to engage<\/a> in lunar exploration. Luxembourg has dedicated legislation <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/luxembourg-asteroid-mining\/\">allowing for space mining<\/a> and has also signed an additional collaborative agreement with the US.<\/p>\n<p><em>[Read: Why the moon\u2019s early magnetic field might be responsible for life on earth]<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The UAE and Australia are both actively trying to establish collaborative links with the broader space industry, so this represents a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/u.ae\/en\/about-the-uae\/strategies-initiatives-and-awards\/federal-governments-strategies-and-plans\/national-space-programme#:%7E:text=The%20UAE%20launched%20the%20National,cadres%20specialised%20in%20airspace%20sciences.&amp;text=Launching%20the%20National%20Space%20Programme,first%20settlement%20there%20by%202117.\">perfect opportunity<\/a> for them to build up capacity. Italy, the UK , and Canada all have ambitions to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/the-wider-benefits-of-space-investments-for-the-uk-economy\">develop their<\/a> space manufacturing industries and will see this as a chance to grow their economies.<\/p>\n<p>The contents of the accords are relatively uncontentious. Throughout, there is a reference to the existing Outer Space Treaty framework, so they are tied closely to existing norms of space law. As such, the accords appear deliberately designed to reassure countries that this is not an instruction on how to behave from a hegemonic power.<\/p>\n<p>There is an explicit statement that the mining of space resources is in accordance with international law. This follows on from the controversial passing of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/who-owns-space-us-asteroid-mining-act-is-dangerous-and-potentially-illegal-51073\">Space Act 2015<\/a>, which put the right to use and trade space resources into American domestic law. But section 10(4) of the accords also commits to ongoing discussions at the UN <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unoosa.org\/oosa\/en\/ourwork\/copuos\/index.html\">Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space<\/a> as to how the legal framework should develop.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the accords focus on safety in space operations, transparency, and interoperability (which refers to the ability of space systems to work in conjunction with each other).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Controversial_issues\"><\/span>Controversial issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If the substance is reassuring, the US promotion of the accords outside of the \u201cnormal\u201d channels of international space law \u2013 such as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space \u2013 will be a cause of consternation for some states. By requiring potential collaborators to sign bilateral agreements on behavior instead, some nations will see the US as trying to impose their own quasi-legal rules. This could see the US leveraging partnership agreements and lucrative financial contracts to reinforce its own dominant leadership position.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" alt=\"Picture showing NASA's outline for lunar exploration.\" width=\"600\" height=\"337\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/364206\/original\/file-20201019-17-1jha4nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/364206\/original\/file-20201019-17-1jha4nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=337&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/364206\/original\/file-20201019-17-1jha4nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=337&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/364206\/original\/file-20201019-17-1jha4nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=337&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/364206\/original\/file-20201019-17-1jha4nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/364206\/original\/file-20201019-17-1jha4nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/364206\/original\/file-20201019-17-1jha4nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/syndication\/2020\/10\/19\/countries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenextweb.com%2Fsyndication%2F2020%2F10%2F19%2Fcountries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: NASA\u2019s outline for lunar exploration. NASA\" data-title=\"Share NASA\u2019s outline for lunar exploration. NASA on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share NASA\u2019s outline for lunar exploration. NASA on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>NASA\u2019s outline for lunar exploration. NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Russia has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/russia-skeptical-about-participating-in-lunar-gateway\/#:%7E:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94%20The%20head%20of%20Russia's,existing%20International%20Space%20Station%20partnership\">already stated<\/a> that the Artemis Program is too \u201cUS-centric\u201d to sign it in its present form. China\u2019s absence is explained by the US congressional <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/williampentland\/2011\/05\/07\/congress-bans-scientific-collaboration-with-china-cites-high-espionage-risks\/\">prohibition on collaboration<\/a> with the country. Concerns that this is a power grab by the US and its allies are fuelled by the lack of any African or South American countries amongst the founding partner states.<\/p>\n<p>Intriguingly Germany, France, and India are also absent. These are countries with well-developed space programs that would surely have benefited from being involved in Project Artemis. Their opposition may be down to a preference for the Moon Agreement and a desire to see a properly negotiated treaty governing lunar exploration.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/\">The European Space Agency<\/a> (ESA) as an organization has not signed on to the accords either, but a number of ESA member states have. This is unsurprising. The ambitious US deadline for the project will clash with the lengthy consultation of the 17 member states required for the ESA to sign on as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Artemis Accords are revolutionary in the field of space exploration. Using bilateral agreements that dictate norms of behavior as a condition of involvement in a program is a significant change in space governance. With Russia and China opposing them, the accords are sure to meet diplomatic resistance and their very existence may provoke antagonism in traditional UN forums.<\/p>\n<p>Questions also remain about the impact that the looming US election and the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the program. We already know that President Trump <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2020\/may\/05\/trump-mining-moon-us-artemis-accords\">is keen<\/a> to see astronauts on the Moon by 2024. The approach of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, is a lot less clear. He may well be less wedded to the 2024 deadline and instead aim for broader diplomatic consensus on behavior through engagement at the UN.<\/p>\n<p>While broader international acceptance may be desirable, the US believes that the lure of the opportunities afforded by the Artemis Program will bring other partners on board soon enough. Space-active states now face a stark choice: miss out on being the first to use the resources of the Moon, or accept the price of doing business and sign up to the Artemis Accords.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/148134\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/christopher-newman-522748\">Christopher Newman<\/a>, Professor of Space Law and Policy, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/northumbria-university-newcastle-821\">Northumbria University, Newcastle<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/artemis-accords-why-many-countries-are-refusing-to-sign-moon-exploration-agreement-148134\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/syndication\/2020\/10\/19\/countries-wont-sign-this-moon-exploration-agreement-because-its-too-us-centric\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Countries won\u2019t sign this Moon exploration agreement because it\u2019s too \u2018US-centric\u2019&#8221; Eight countries have signed the Artemis Accords, a set of guidelines surrounding the Artemis Program for crewed exploration of the Moon. The United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates , and the US are now all participants in the project,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/10\/1-11.jpg&signature=217a904cb5c6f5f440636beb042ae730","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[76328,5025,5019,76327,67821],"class_list":["post-92520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-consensus-decision-making","tag-moon","tag-space","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}