The article was originally published at The Conversation.
Theodora Ogden is a research fellow at Arizona State University.
The internet and television are run by satellites. They enable modern weather forecasting, help scientists track environmental degradation, and play a huge role in modern military technology.
Other countries provide these services for nations that don't have their own satellites. As space fills up, options are running out for those who want to develop their own satellite infrastructure.
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I am a research fellow at Arizona State University, studying the benefits of space and ways to make it more accessible to developing countries.
Inequity is happening in access to satellites. The ability to extract resources from the moon and asteroids could become a point of difference between the space haves and have-nots. There is a risk that these inequalities will become permanent.
Who is the owner of the moon? There are space law and outer space treaties.
Thanks to the rapid commercialization, miniaturization and plummeting costs of satellite technology in recent years, more countries are able to reap the benefits of space.
High school students can build cubesats, which are small, cheap, and easy to build. One of these satellites can be launched by companies such as SpaceX for less than a dollar per pound. There are only so many places to park a satellite around Earth.
The best parking is above the equator. A satellite in the same position as Earth rotates at the same rate, which can be very useful for broadcasting and weather satellites.
541 of the 1,800 slots were occupied by active satellites as of February 2022, according to the new tab. Most of the slots that offer access to major markets have already been claimed by countries and private companies. If a new spacefaring nation wants to put a weather satellite over a specific spot in the Atlantic Ocean that is already claimed, they would either have to choose a less optimal location for the satellite or buy services from the country they wanted.
The International Telecommunication Union is an agency of the United Nations. Slots are free, but they go to countries on a first-come, first-served basis. When a satellite's 15- to 20-year lifespan ends, a country can simply replace it and keep its hold on the slot. This allows countries to keep these positions indefinitely. The countries that already have the technology have an advantage over those that don't.
There are many other ways to get around the Earth. The growing problem of space debris is being compounded by the filling up of these.
The Earth is around 1,000 miles above the surface. Satellites are moving fast in a congested environment. It is not ideal for single communication satellites like those used to broadcast television, radio and the internet.
If multiple satellites work together to form a constellation, low Earth orbit can be used for communications. Over the next few years, thousands of satellites will be put into low Earth orbit by companies like Blue Origin. The first generation of Starlink consists of 1,926 satellites, and the second generation will add another 30,000.
The major space players are rapidly occupying the low Earth orbits, potentially monopolizing access to important satellite capabilities and adding to space junk.
Inequity exists in Orbital slots. Not everyone will benefit from the future of space being a gold rush for resources.
Valuable minerals and metals are held by asteroids. NASA is going to launch a probe later this year to explore an asteroid, which scientists estimate contains over 10 quintillion worth of iron. The economies of spacefaring nations could be boosted and the economies of countries that depend on exporting minerals and metals could be disrupted.
Scientists think that a rare version of helium that is not radioactive could be used in a nuclear fusion reaction. There are a lot of technological obstacles to overcome, but there are enough deposits on the moon and elsewhere in the solar system to satisfy Earth. If powerful spacefaring countries develop the technology to use and mine and choose not to share the benefits with other nations, it could result in lasting inequalities.
To handle the complicated web of private companies and nations competing for resources in space, existing international space laws are not well suited. The space blocs are unified on goals and rules for future space missions. The U.S., Chinese and Russian are planning missions to set up bases and potential mining operations on the moon.
The major players in space are establishing rules for exploiting resources. Competition will drive these decisions, damaging the space environment and causing conflict, if we don't focus on what is best for everyone on Earth. It is hard to challenge international norms once they are established.
The functioning of a modern nation depends on access to space. Space access will only become more important as humanity rapidly advances toward a future of colonies on Mars and space hotels.
The founding document of space law, the Outer Space Treaty, says that space should be used for the benefit and in the interests of all countries.
This article is free under a Creative Commons license. The original article can be found in the new tab.
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