Space Resource Mining International Law Framework OrbitalLaw Draft Approved by UN Vote: Near-Earth Asteroid Mining Rights Clarified for the First Time

The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) voted on July 23 to approve the OrbitalLaw framework draft, the first international legal framework for commercial space resource exploitation. Jointly proposed by the United States, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan, the draft was approved after three years of negotiations with 87 votes in favor, 12 against, and 34 abstentions.

OrbitalLaw's core provisions include: commercial entities may claim ownership of asteroid resources they extract, but must pay a 3% resource tax to the International Space Resources Authority (ISRA); all mining activities must遵守 planetary protection protocols and must not cause irreversible damage to celestial bodies of scientific value; developing countries may receive 15% of space resource revenue through an ISRA shared fund.

Luxembourg Space Agency director Marco Galea stated: "Over the past decade, seven space mining companies have collectively invested over $8 billion in R&D, but legal uncertainty has been the biggest obstacle. OrbitalLaw provides the industry with predictable rules."

Opposition votes came primarily from Russia and some developing nations, whose representatives argued the framework essentially favors countries with space technology advantages. Brazil's delegate stated: "Space resources are the common heritage of all humanity and should not be divided up by a handful of nations' private companies."

Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries have announced plans to launch the first commercial asteroid exploration mission by 2030, targeting near-Earth asteroid 2024 PT5, whose platinum group metals are estimated to be worth over $50 billion.