Trump has just signed another executive order encouraging the US to mine the moon for minerals.
The executive order makes clear that the US doesn’t view space as a “global commons”, opening the way for the mining of the moon without any sort of international treaty.
“Americans should have the right to engage in commercial exploration, recovery, and use of resources in outer space,” the order states.
The USA had never signed the 1979 agreement known as the moon treaty. This agreement stipulates that any activities in space should conform to international law.
In 2015, the US Congress passed a law explicitly allowing American companies to use resources from the moon and asteroids.
According to Trump’s executive order, the US will object to any attempt to use international law to hinder its efforts to remove chunks of the moon or, should the opportunity arise, additional mining of Mars and “other celestial bodies”.
The executive order states that the federal government will “require partnership with commercial entities to recover and use resources, including water and certain minerals, in outer space”.Perhaps now, we have some inkling why Trump created his military "Space Force."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/07/trump-mining-moon-executive-order
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