Space enthusiasts have branded the Moon Treaty, 1979, as the archenemy of space development. However, that treaty calls for a new regime of agreements to take effect if and when lunar exploration and exploitation is deemed to be ready. The regime intended may have been another set of UN treaties, but that is not necessary. Instead, nations may enact pattern legislation that puts entities with municipal development agendas into place, ones that defer to civil engineering standards for space rather than social engineering politics for the UN. Such authorities may be the new regime required by the Moon Treaty of 1979. There is nothing in the document itself that delimits the concept of regime to UN auspices. This paper will describe the relevant entities (like the Lunar Economic Development Authority, LEDA), compare treaty burden compliance aspects, and explain how the Moon Agreement of 1979 may actually assist in a legal and space policy manner, in the creation of a new regime, without disrupting the space development agenda. LEDA will accede to the 1979 Moon Treaty and organize development of the lunar venue under its favorable terms: nations could participate without ratifying the Moon Treaty itself.
An Archenemy Revisited: The 1979 Moon Treaty
Sixth ASCE Specialty Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space ; 1998 ; Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Space 98 ; 681-687
1998-04-21
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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