The decree states that the United States does not recognize the Agreement on the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, according to which satellite exploration is considered the property of all mankind.
US President Donald Trump has signed a decree in support of the commercial development of resources on the Moon and other celestial bodies, the White House press service said.
“Americans should have the right to conduct commercial exploration, extraction and use of resources in outer space in accordance with applicable law,” the decree says.
At the same time, the document notes that space, both legally and physically, serves as "a unique space for human activity and the United States does not consider it as a common property," therefore, the country's policy should be aimed at "stimulating international support for the extraction and use of resources in space ".
In particular, the United States does not recognize the Agreement on the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, the decree says. “In this regard, the Secretary of State should resist any attempts by any other state or international organization to interpret the Moon Agreement as reflecting or otherwise expressing customary international law,” it says.
The Agreement on the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, adopted by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in December 1979, states that the exploration and use of the satellite is considered the property of all mankind and is carried out in the interests of all countries of the world. States that are exploring the moon should be guided by the principles of cooperation and mutual assistance.
"The moon is not subject to national appropriation either by proclaiming sovereignty over it, or by use or occupation, or by any other means," the agreement emphasizes.
Trump demanded "at any cost" to send Americans to the moon in March 2019, giving NASA five years for this. Following that, the department announced the Artemis space program, which consisted of two stages - the landing of the crew with the first woman on the moon and flights to the satellite with the creation of infrastructure on it. For this project, the president promised to allocate an additional $ 1.6 billion to NASA. In September of the same year, Australia joined the program.
Promotional video:
In early February, Trump asked Congress for money for a manned mission to Mars and the Moon. This is necessary so that "the next man and first woman on the moon will be American astronauts and that America be the first country to plant its flag on Mars," he said.
Author: Victoria Polyakova