As the world's population grows along with the demand for
the planet's limited resources, governments and private
enterprises are setting their sights on outer space.
In asteroids and on the moon, there is an abundance of water,
base metals, and precious metals. Once the stuff of science
fiction, people are now actively working to develop the technology
to extract and utilize these resources. These efforts will almost
certainly be led by companies in the aerospace, defense, and
government services (ADG) industry sector.
Although there is a growing consensus among spacefaring nations
that commercial space mining is consistent with international law,
companies and their investment partners will likely require some
additional legal clarity before undertaking a space mining venture.
Specifically, they will likely want to address the same key legal
risks that are considered before a terrestrial mining venture.
These include:
