NewSpace for sale: The Artemis Accords and the need for legal modernisation and environmental protection in the era of privatization of Space
Currently one of the most prevalent space projects is the Artemis Campaign, aiming to create a lunar economy, with the goal of one day reaching Mars. The campaign has led to the creation of the Artemis Accords, a series of non-binding bilateral arrangements between the United States government and other states. The Accords attempt to set the legal basis for commercial activities in space, opening up the legal doors for commercialization and potentially privatization of space exploration, infrastructure and celestial bodies. This project perceives this as a fundamental threat to the space environment itself and to the sustainable exploration of space for scientific purposes and for the benefit of all humankind. For these reasons, the state of the current regulatory framework and the legality of the Artemis Accords will be explored, alongside the extent to which they facilitate international cooperation and scientific exploration and the extent to which they facilitate commercial and privatizing activities on celestial bodies and the creation of a lunar economy. Additionally, this project will explore how the existing regulatory framework and the Artemis Accords consolidate or contradict principles of environmental protection and sustainability in space. Political theory will complement doctrinal research and critical legal analysis, with the adoption of an ecological and post-colonial theoretical framework. Ultimately, viable legal alternatives and additions to the existing legal apparatus will be proposed, in order to safeguard space as part of the ‘commons’, ensure human equitable access to space, sustainable exploration methods and space environmental conservation and protection.