Russia Accuses Trump of Planet Stealing Plans

Who Owns Commercial Rights in Space? Planet Snatchers

Source:  NASA

Russia & US Intergalactic War of Words

This could be a script for a new George Lucas 
"Star Wars" movie. But it's not science fiction.  
It's the latest global news on space

and it's a big fight.

The Russian Space Agency Roscosmos has accused

President Donald Trump of creating a basis for 

snatching planets.  At issue is an Executive Order the

President just signed detailing US policy on commercial

mining in space.  From Russia's perspective, the

Executive Order slams the concept that space is 

the property of all of humanity.

At Stake - Intergalactic Money in Trillions of Dollars

Experts believe that the mineral deposits that space 

contains could be worth trillions of dollars.  Mr.

Trump's Order states that the US will negotiate

bilateral and multilateral statements and agreements

on "safe and sustainable operations for the

public and private recovery" of resources in space.  

It adds that the US does not "view space as a

global commons." It appears that Russia's fundamental 

problem is the US is attempting to lead the effort.

Russia Takes Intergalactic Offense

Russia's space agency is sounding the alarm

that the US might "attempt to expropriate outer

space and implement aggressive plans

to actually seize territories on other planets".

Russia says any attempts to privatize space are 

unacceptable.

US Position on Space Resources

The White House says it is trying to establish

international support with the US position that

space resources can be used by companies and

organizations.  A US federal law grants

US companies rights to the space resources they

extract.  To be more specific, the US is encouraging

international support for the public and private

recovery and use of resources they discover and

extract in outer space.

NASA's Big Lunar Mission

A key reason behind the President's Executive Order

is to support NASA's long term plans for

exploration of the Moon.  In April 2020, NASA

outlined its plans for sustainable exploration of the

Moon.  The plans include the development of what 

it calls "in-situ" resource utilization technologies

to use water ice and other lunar materials found 

on the Moon to create fuel, oxygen and other materials for

sustainable Moon surface operations.  These

lunar operations would require decreasing amounts

of supplies needed from Earth.

Commercializing Outer Space

This is a brand new chapter in Space that's 

becoming very relevant.  It's about commercializing

the exploration and discovery of mineral assets

in space, that superpowers, including China,

are laying claim to.  Space is a huge, 

new commercial opportunity 

and global superpowers are vying for their piece of it.