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46 J. Space L. 158 (2022)
Lunar Missions by Newer Space Actors in the Next Five Years: An Evaluation of Legal Issues

handle is hein.journals/jrlsl46 and id is 164 raw text is: LUNAR MISSIONS BY NEWER SPACE ACTORS IN THE NET FIVE YEARS: AN EVALUATION OF LEGAL ISSUES Upasana Dasgupta* ABSTRACT At present, we are witnessing a renewed interest in probing the Moon by the space powers and private entities. With this re- newed interest, it is relevant to evaluate the legality of carrying out space activities in and around the Moon, including human settle- ment and mining, the legality of which are debatable. These opera- tions will, in any case, require huge financial commitments, re- sources and technological expertise which only a few governments and even fewer private entities possess. However, there are several other lunar activities possible which may be exercised by govern- ments of non-space power States and small to medium sized private space actors in near future, possibly within the next five years. This article examines the legal issues surrounding these possible smaller scale lunar activities including: (a) deploying satellites in lunar orbit; (b) providing cargo supplies to stations and installa- tions on the Moon. Examination of the legal issues will involve learning lessons from space activities around the Earth's orbit and understanding the physical differences between the Moon and the Earth. * Dr. Upasana Dasgupta is an Assistant Professor at the Jindal Global Law School, email: upasana.dasgupta@jgu.edu.in. Upasana is grateful to Francois Dubrulle, Founder/CEO, Qosmosys and Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard- Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for their valuable inputs and suggestions which helped in formulating the paper. The author is, however, solely responsible for inaccu- racy of data, if any. 158

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