The Controversial tules of international law governingnatural resouurces of the moon and other celestial bodies

DRA MAUREEN WILLIAMS (PRESIDENT OF IILA SPACE LAW COMMITTEE)

Proceedings of the International Institute of Space Law

eleven Internatonal publishing

Lugar: La Haya; Año: 2016; p. 521 - 533

AUTORÍA INDIIVIDUAL  NOTA:Por error se colocó este capítulo de libro como publicado en 2015 según me informaran los editores, y por ende se incluyó en el Informe anterior. Al llegar a mis manos (por vía maríima desde  los Países Bajos en febrero de 2016, compruebo que fue ése el año finalmente publicado o quizásmuy  a fines de 2015 ya existía la publicación electrónica. Por ello consideramos que fue ya evaluado en el anterior InformeAbstractIn 2010, at the 53rdColloquium on the Law of Outer Space (IISL, Prague), the present writeraddressed the shortcomings of the Moon Agreement and reasons for the fragilesupport from the international community to this instrument. Indeed itsprovisions are open to a wide range of interpretations, some of them highlycontroversial. In some countries a general feeling appears to indicate that the1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) is sufficient to govern these matters today, andthat there are no valid reasons to ratify the Moon Agreement which fails toresolve the points of contention and bridge the gaps left by the 1967 OST.  In 2015 this discussioncontinues and, far from beginning to see daylight, ideas -let alone innovativesuggestions- remain immersed in a penumbra of doubt. In the meantime, spacetechnology is growing exponentially. This article explores thecurrent situation on the basis of new discoveries and programmes in progress onthe Moon and Mars.  It includes, amongothers, issues surrounding possible rights of property in those areas, thelegal status of natural resources and the very thorny question of asteroidmining in light of contemporary international law.