Technical Challenges and Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI) for Asteroid Mining and Planetary Defense

Abstract

Advances in the field of asteroid dynamics continue to yield new knowledge regarding the behavior and characteristics of asteroids, allowing unprecedented levels of accuracy for predicting trajectories and contributing to impact avoidance strategies. Meanwhile, more detailed information regarding the physical composition of asteroids has reignited interest in asteroid mining as a potential new resource sector. This article considers some of the technical, ethical, legal and social issues facing global planetary defense efforts and off-world mining proposals. It considers issues such as claim jumping, weaponization of the space environment and ownership issues for resources extracted from space.