Mine An Asteroid and Its Yours – You Just Have to Get There First

We have known for a long while that the resources we have on Earth and under it, are limited. With an expanding population and growing lifespan, it’s becoming more and more necessary to find alternative sources of resources. With a billionaire seeking to mine the moon, we could soon be seeing people launching into space, not for exploration, but to go mining. Its okay, if you can mine it, you can own it according to legislation passed by the US congress.

The US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act was signed into effect on Tuesday offering a range of pro-business measures for US Citizens that include being able to own resources in outer space. The act also looks to make it easier for commercial groups to get permission to launch craft into space, meaning that going and mining the moon and passing asteroids could become one step closer very soon.

With protection for companies offering space tourism and extending the International Space Stations lifetime to 2024, the act will have long standing effects on anyone and every company that looks to expand their borders to outer space.

There is one problem with any legislation that affects outer space, and if anime and science fiction has told me anything, it’s that no one on Earth can truly own something in space. What if someone in the UK lands on an asteroid and mines it, are they protected under US law? What about the countries that don’t agree to the law and legislations that people believe their actions to be protected by? Not only could you soon see buildings made from asteroids, but the courts could see large legal battles between entire countries for the rights to space rocks.