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With all the plans to send robotic missions to the moon in the coming years and NASA's plan to send the first astronauts of the post-Apollo era, one thing is clear: we are returning to the moon! But unlike Apollo Era, we intend to do more than mount "footprints and flags" missions this time around. This time, we intend to create the infrastructure necessary for a sustainable and sustainable human presence on the moon.
This plan is in keeping with the spirit of the Treaty on Outer Space and the Moon Treaty that followed. The first, signed in 1967 by the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom, defined the framework for the peaceful uses of outer space and was still the basis of international space law. Since then, the Treaty has been ratified by 109 Member States.
In addition to preventing Member States from placing weapons of mass destruction in Earth orbit, on the Moon or any other celestial body (Article IV), Article I of the Treaty clearly states that the exploration space must always be peaceful, international and humanitarian. nature:
"The exploration and use of space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, must be conducted in the interest of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and are the responsibility of all humankind. .
"Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free for exploration and use by all States without any discrimination, on an equal basis." and in accordance with international law, and access to free access to all areas of the Earth is guaranteed. celestial bodies."
The Moon Treaty that followed, signed in 1979, aimed to go further. In addition to reiterating the commitment of the Outer Space Treaty to use the Moon for peaceful purposes and to prohibit the testing or stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction on or around the Moon, the Treaty on Moon also states that no entity (national or company) should have exclusive property rights. This is stated in Article XI where it is written:
"Neither the surface nor the subsoil of the moon, nor any part of it, nor the natural resources in place become the property of a State, of an international intergovernmental or non-governmental organization, of a national organization or of a non-governmental entity or of a natural person. "
Unfortunately, only 11 Member States have acceded to this treaty, none of which is a major power in outer space. As a result, many unresolved political and legal issues will likely become more relevant as the lunar settlement moves closer to reality. In addition, the fact that private property is not expressly prohibited has led to scams over the years – like selling land on the moon!
Open Lunar is one of the many organizations that have emerged in recent years to promote lunar colonization to solve these problems. As Chelsea Robinson, a long-time non-profit organizer and chief of operations and staff at Open Lunar, explains in a recent interview with Bloomberg:
"Our highest ambition is to catalyze and enable a peaceful and cooperative lunar settlement. At a time when many commercial and government players are working on the Moon, we are excited to demonstrate a civic approach to participation. "
Until now, the organization has attracted personalities such as the famous Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, the co-founders of Planet Labs Inc., Will Marshall and Robbie Schingler, the former director of NASA, Simon "Pete" Worden, and Steve Jurvetson, a venture capital investor who provided the initial investment in Open Lunar is also a board member of SpaceX, Tesla and other companies.
Each of these people brings something unique to the table. This goes from command missions that have spent long periods in space (Hadfield); administrative experience and project management of NASA (Worden); expertise in the development of lunar landers, satellites and surveyors missions (Marshall and Schingler), and tons of business acumen (Jurvetson and others).
Like many space agencies today, Open Lunar plans to embark on a program of robotic missions that will eventually lead to a series of crew missions. These efforts will result in the construction of an autonomous lunar outpost that can accommodate from six to ten people and will be made available to the public.
The organization began as a kind of thought experiment, when a group of people from Silicon Valley were reviewing the progress made in recent years through the NewSpace sector. Given the spectacular way in which the launch of payloads in space is getting cheaper, they thought it would only be a matter of time before it was possible to build a small lunar colony. cheaply (for example, between $ 2 billion and $ 3 billion).
Another thing that they have taken into account is the way entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Milner Yuri and other billionaires embark on the game of space exploration. A lunar settlement that cost a few billion dollars
In time, Robinson and Jessy Kate Schingler turned this idea into an organization. In addition to being a software engineer and years of experience in space policy, Schingler has also studied experimental forms of governance. Robinson assumed the role of chief of operations, while Schingler assumed the role of director of policy and governance.
Since then, they and the various members of their organization have actively planned the types of missions they wish to pursue and have conducted extensive public relations, education and outreach campaigns. As Jurvetson illustrated:
"The result of these meetings was that you could create on the moon a permanent, economically autonomous presence that can be realized for billions to one digit. I am excited about this idea and the fascinating nature of the people involved. "
Like many space agencies around the world today, Open Lunar plans to embark on a program of robotic missions that will culminate in a series of crew missions. These efforts will lead to the creation by OpenLuna of their own launchers and the creation of an autonomous lunar outpost that can accommodate from six to ten people, which will be made available to the public.
The strategy of their strategy (as their name suggests) is to rely on crowdsourcing and open source technology (such as LINUX or Android) to accelerate the process of exploration and moon settlement. They also plan to share all the data and material designs resulting from their collaborative work.
If all goes as planned, OpenLuna hopes that their efforts will promote a more harmonious approach to lunar colonization. As Jessy Kate Schingler said:
"The lunar activity is exploding. There are governments and companies intensely concentrated
In progress but there is no third pillar representing the possibility of doing things differently. If we do not roll up our sleeves and do not get involved, then, by definition, the future of human settlements in outer space will reflect the status quo of those currently in power. To see things unfold differently on the moon, we had to start experimenting now.
In the near future, it is clear that most of our common space exploration objectives are focused on the Moon. Not only do space agencies around the world want to venture there for the first time (or go back), but they are planning to settle in and stay. Another major change since the Apollo era is the way private industry and the public are involved as never before.
But of course, this raises concerns and (in some cases) real fears. For some, the perspective of the commercialized space enhances images of the Wild West, characterized by merciless megacorporations and people crushed underfoot. Ensuring that the future of space is as open as possible in open access
Further reading: Bloomberg
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