Artemis II lunar flyby; US pushes exclusive zones
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- Artemis II crew completed a lunar flyby this week and is slated to splash down soon.
- Outer Space Treaty (1967) declares space “the province of all mankind” and bars national ownership claims.
- Artemis Accords introduce exclusive “safety zones” around lunar activities, potentially covering water or helium‑3 mining.
- Cassandra Steer says the Accords represent a U.S. attempt to carve out a loophole in the treaty.
- SpaceX controls roughly two‑thirds of the tens of thousands of satellites in orbit, with hundreds of thousands more planned.
- Space Sustainability Rating offers a metric for responsible stewardship, supporting co‑governance frameworks.
Why it matters: The United States' push for exclusive lunar safety zones under the Artemis Accords gives it a practical foothold on water and helium‑3 mining, eroding the Outer Space Treaty’s shared‑ownership rule and limiting other nations and private firms from accessing those resources.
