Space Law News: An Interpretation of the Concept of "Common Heritage of Humanity" by Artemis Accords
2021
Abstract
On 13 October 2020, eight countries - Australia, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom - signed 12 principles for cooperation in civilian exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids through their space agencies. commonly known as Artemis Accords. At the end of 2020, Ukraine acceded to the Agreements as a full signatory and an agreement on a common understanding was signed with Brazil.
Despite all the criticism and ambiguity of the Agreements, it offers a very interesting look at the interpretation of the term "common heritage of mankind" in relation to space and the minerals mined in space. And it is this aspect of Artemis Accords that this article addresses.