Space Travel: How the United States Can Undermine International Law

However, there does not appear to be a clear signal from Germany. Neither the representatives of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) nor the Federal Ministry for Economics wanted to comment on the Artemis agreements when asked by Spektrum.de. The only written statement from the department is that it is “in close contact with the Americans” and that legal issues “will play a role in due course.” and: “Essentially, the Federal Government is interested in further developing the legal framework applicable under international law at the multilateral level.” Carefully selected words.

Criticisms from Russia and China

Russia is more visible there. Russian Aerospace Chief Dmitry Rogozin of IAC said the Artemis program is “too focused on the United States.” So his country won’t be big Participation in the American lunar plans. Early in July, Rogozin, known for his boisterous style, wrote about Artemis in the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda. complain: » It’s all about America, everyone has to help and pay. Honestly, we’re not interested in that kind of thing.” Tweet, where Rogozin compared the agreements of Artemis to conquest, has since been omitted.

Instead of flying with the United States, Russia now wants to fly to the moon with its spacecraft, she said at the IAC. The country wants to establish a scientific base there – along with the Chinese. They are also critical of the Artemis Agreement: a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson recently demanded that rules of conduct for space should be established by UN bodies, not by a single country. However, the People’s Republic should not participate in the agreements in any case: the US Congress has banned cooperation with China in the field of space travel.

On the other hand, Europe is a welcome partner for America’s plans for the moon, as it emerged again this week: The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed its intention to contribute two units to the future “Lunar Gateway” space station. It is said to be the successor to the International Space Station near the moon, but perhaps not until late 2020 – after the moon landing in 2024, which is currently being targeted by the Trump administration.

In the case of the Artemis agreements, on the other hand, which are at best indirectly related to the Gateway to the Moon, only three European countries have been included so far. On the other hand, there is Luxembourg, which has been around for a long time resource depletion In space and even licensing – in contravention of international law, as Stefan Hope criticizes. There is Italy, which, in addition to being a member of the European Space Agency, has always had unilateral agreements with NASA for flights by Italian astronauts. And there is the United Kingdom, which is taking a course in astronautics: in 2012, the British will be Europe’s participation in the International Space Station ISS It is provided by one-time cash injection. As a bonus, British astronaut Tim Peake was allowed to fly to the International Space Station shortly afterwards.

Since then, however, Peake has been on the sidelines. Are the agreements of Artemis his second chance now? This is exactly where the practical problems begin, far from international law and space treaties: what exactly does the American declaration mean that only those who have signed the agreements are allowed to play in Artemis? Is it about exploiting resources, building lunar bases, or the astronauts traveling along the way? “This is an interesting question, but we are not quite that far in conversations with NASA yet,” ESA President Johann Dietrich Werner says in an interview with Spektrum.de.