The United States Senate has passed the Space Act of 2015, which includes a range of legislative changes intended to boost the US space industry.
Perhaps the most significant part are measures allowing US citizens to engage in the commercial exploration and exploitation of "space resources", with examples including includes water and minerals. The right to exploit resources covers anything in space that isn't alive - so if a commercial exploration team discovers microbial life, they can't exploit it for profit.
For the purposes of this bill a "citizen of the United States” is defined as "(A) an individual who is a citizen of the United States", "(B) an entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States or a State" or "an entity organized or existing under the laws of a foreign country if the controlling interest (as defined by the Secretary of Transportation) is held by an individual or entity described in subclause (A) or (B) of this clause".
That means not only individuals but also corporations, including those that are not wholly US owned, qualify as US citizens for the purpose of mineral exploitation in space. For example, Richard Branson is a British citizen, but he's an investor in Planetary Resources, a self-described "asteroid mining company" that has been heavily involved in lobbying in favour of the Space Act. As a result, he's likely to be one of the first British people to profit from US commercial asteroid mining.
Planetary Resources has welcomed the US Congress's support of the act. The company's president and chief engineer, Chris Lewicki said that the "sensible legislation" could lead to huge growth. "Long ago, The Homestead Act of 1862 advocated for the search for gold and timber, and today, H.R. 2262 fuels a new economy that will open many avenues for the continual growth and prosperity of humanity. This off-planet economy will forever change our lives for the better here on Earth."
Although opening space up to commercial resource exploitation could fuel technological development in a new space race, the Space Act 2015 isn't without controversy. The United States, like Britain, France and Russia, is a signatory of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which reads: "Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means."
Handing out the right to exploit chunks of space to your citizens sounds very much like a claim of sovereignty, despite the Space Act's direct statement that "the United States does not thereby assert sovereignty or sovereign or exclusive rights or jurisdiction over, or the ownership of, any celestial body."
The next step for the Space Act 2015 is to return to the House of Representatives for final approval before going to president Obama to be signed. With the completion of that legislative process, the human and corporate citizens of the USA will be able to set off to exploit space for profit.
If you want to get into the world of asteroid mining, you'll need to start by setting up a company that's either based in the USA or owned by a US company or citizen. Like Planetary Resources, you'll need a space telescope to prospect for suitable asteroids and small spacecraft to rendezvous with and take samples of likely candidates.
Asteroid mining technology itself is untested, but already heavily researched territory that Planetary Resources' Chris Lewicki says will require operators to "mine and refine at the source", rather than bringing tons of material back to Earth.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
