Breakthrough! The Outer Space Institute has just released an Open Letter that supports the Moon Treaty and calls for an international agreement on space mining. Signed by Bill Nye and others in the field. The Space Treaty Project has proposed such an agreement (the subject of this petition) that supports all private activity (e.g., settlements), not just mining. Here is our August update:

Friends and Colleagues,

Over the past few months, two different futures have been proposed for humanity in outer space: national dominance or international cooperation.

In April, President Trump issued an Executive Order denouncing the Moon Treaty, the leading effort to create an international legal framework for public and private activity on the Moon and beyond. His administration then proposed an alternative, the Artemis Accords, seeking to establish exclusive zones for U.S. companies to mine resources, which many consider a violation of the Outer Space Treaty’s prohibition against appropriation or establishing sovereignty. Apparently, the world is not enough.

Meanwhile, the Space Treaty Project continues to promote international cooperation. At the recent Lunar Development Conference presented by The Moon Society, the Project presented the latest version of the Model Implementation Agreement for the Moon Treaty. The Model Agreement will support all private activity, not just mining, while protecting essential public policies. The half-hour presentation covers the entire ten-paragraph agreement; the video is available at Dennis O'Brien - Implementation Agreement for the Moon Treaty - 2020 Lunar Development Conference.

A peer-reviewed paper that explains the Model Agreement has been published in the Journal of Advances in Astronautics Science and Technology, now available at  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42423-020-00059-w?wt_mc=Internal.Event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorAssignedToIssue

A historical analysis of the Administration's efforts – The Artemis Accords: Repeating the Mistakes of the Age of Exploration - has been published in Europe and the U.S.: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/06/10/the-artemis-accords-repeating-the-mistakes-of-the-age-of-exploration/ and https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3975/1

Finally, the Project website has been updated and now includes all papers and articles the Project has generated: www.spacetreaty.org. It includes a link to the petition supporting the effort, Sign the Petition, and to a free copy of the book Major Tom.

There is so much going on in the world right now, it is easy to miss something that may have the greatest impact on humanity’s future. Maintaining peace in outer space will help bring peace on Earth. International cooperation in outer space will foster cooperation on Earth. Now is the time to end the cycle of war, violence, and neglect caused by the policies of national dominance. Please consider signing the petition and sharing this email with others who you think would support this cause.

Thank you very much for your time and attention.

Dennis O’Brien
President, The Space Treaty Project