Description
Most discourse on space resource utilisation focuses on space mining – that is, the recovery of tangible minerals located in space. These interventions offer important contributions to a wider debate about how we govern resources beyond national jurisdiction, but they do not represent the full picture. By far, the most used space resource today are orbits . At present, actors in nearly 80 states make use of orbits, including militaries, corporations, universities, and artists. But as a resource, these orbits are not infinite; there is an upper limit to the number of space actors and objects that can safely operate in a given orbit. Above that limit, there is increasing risk for harmful radio interference, collisions, and orbital debris. Overexploitation of a given orbit has the potential to cause serious long-term harm to the near-Earth environment. Not only might this prevent space actors from using that orbit long in the future – it tangibly affects how ‘common’ (near-Earth) space can be. Moreover, by emphasising space mining, we may fix space resource discourse into a framing that excludes those unable to make space mining a discursive priority, many of which are in the Global South. This paper will recontextualise space resource use in the context of a decades-long transnational project to ensure the equitable use of Earth orbits, adding momentum to wider calls for more just approaches to space resource use in general.
