Space, Netflix | Look for! Space can become a war zone

“Don’t Look” is good for satire, humor and social criticism. It’s also closer to reality than you might think.

In the movie, we meet the eccentric billionaire Peter. Peter made a fortune by collecting and selling personal data for advertising purposes. He also has a space program similar to Elon Musk’s Space X. Now he is searching for precious resources in space and taking the US President with him.

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Searching for minerals

There is an acute shortage of minerals needed for battery production in the world. This has become a major bottleneck in the green transformation. Metals are also essential for new electronics, such as cell phones and computers.

These metals, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, and less commonly known as lantanium, neodymium, and yttrium, are found widely on planets and asteroids. Many now expect the technology to be approaching a point where it can be recovered and returned to Earth. It was planned to mine from the moon. It may be appropriate to drag asteroids close to each other to facilitate the mining process. In addition, it is important to bring home valuable resources such as water, hydrogen and silicon.

The night sky is disappearing

Until a few years ago, there were very few satellites in space. With the aim of providing better Internet access to the world’s population, SpaceX plans to deploy 1,000 new devices each year. The plan is 40,000 satellites organized into “shells” they call Starlink. They are far from alone.

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In addition to countries like the United States and China, many private operators have plans ready. The International Telecommunication Union, which controls various radio frequencies, estimates that 100,000 satellites could be launched by 2030.

Take an extra look. The Economist a path That is, this could mean the end of the starry sky as we know it. Light pollution will come not only from Earth, but from satellites that cast shadows on planets and stars, and will make the task difficult for astronomers and interested stargazers. Today there is again a regulation of how much light a satellite can have.

New war zone

More serious: satellites could form the basis of electronic warfare. When the communication systems are paralyzed, it will lead to severe damage.

In addition, many military systems now rely on space technology to function optimally. Satellites are not just a potential target for hostile attacks, they need an Internet infrastructure. Controlling it gives great strength.

New space race

Previously, only the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, had sufficient resources to launch a space rocket. Now technology has made it possible for more people to participate.

The world’s richest tech tycoons led by Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. China is working in this field, but a small country like Luxenburg was also early in crafting a regulatory framework for rights to minerals and other resources in space.

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The big questions remain unanswered: When resources are returned to Earth, who has the right to something that no one else has? How do we regulate the ownership and extraction of minerals in space? Everyone has a responsibility to not pollute and litter, but who is to be punished for violations?

Who owns?

Space is not completely out of law. The 1967 Space Treaty was signed by all space nations and has legal status. It states that no country can claim ownership of a space object such as a star or planet. For example, no one can say that he owns the moon. But the treaty, for example, doesn’t say much about the right to extract resources.

Eight countries (the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates) have signed specific principles and guidelines for lunar exploration (Agreements of Artemis). This is important and could set a precedent. But not everyone participates. Russia and China, for example, refused to deal with them.

Sea

There must be joint regulation. Inspiration can be taken from the way we have organized marine areas. For a long time, the sea was also a kind of forbidden land. It is now largely regulated by international agreements. The United Nations Maritime Law (UNCLOS) states that the deep sea is the common property of all the inhabitants of Earth, which is what the United Nations calls the “common heritage of mankind”.

A separate authority, the International Seabed Authority, regulates deep-sea resource extraction. One can imagine a similar system when metals are recovered from space.

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Avoid space wars

The 1967 space treaty was in effect an arms control agreement. It states that activity in space should be peaceful and benefit all humanity. New international agreements and cooperation must be concluded, and ownership of space resources must be better articulated.

This is urgent. If it didn’t, it would be the richest and most powerful people in the world to get the most out of it. In the worst case, the lack of organization could end in a space war.