From Earth to Space
Written by: Yarden Weber
In 1865, Jules Verne wrote a novel describing the attempts of the Baltimore Gun Club to build an enormous space gun and launch three people to the moon. The novel inspired the first science fiction film, and was so successful that in 1889 Verne wrote a second sequel to it. 100 years later, in 1969, imagination became the reality, and Neil Armstrong became the first person to ever walk on the Moon.
Until now these dreams could only be accomplished with the resources and manpower of large governments. Now, in 2018, private space travel is becoming the reality.
Space Exploration Technologies (better known as SpaceX) is the first company to contract with NASA, and ship private cargo to the International Space Station using its own rocket. It has been regularly testing a reusable self-landing rocket called the Falcon 9.
Elon Musk founded SpaceX with the intent to create cheaper private space travel, eventually finding a way to colonize on Mars; Musk has already released plans for an Interplanetary Transport System to help build a million-person Martian city.
Private space exploration, uninhibited by international treaties that focused on making space a public space for all humanity, has especially been interested in harvesting resources outside of this planet. But who will own these resources? Will international regulations be drafted to prevent the wealthy from exploiting these arguably public resources?
Last year, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued regulations establishing requirements for crew and passengers involved in private human space flights. The regulations establish requirements for crew and passenger's notification, medical qualification and training.
Such regulation raises the tension between the states obligation to protect its citizens, and an excessive paternalism, that will burden these entrepreneurial companies. How closely should governments regulate space flight to protect those on the ground, as well as preserve the heavenly world from commercial exploitation, and when should they just let go?
We think that they the law should take a phased approach in regulating commercial human space flight, with regulatory standards evolving as the industry matures.
