The Legal Regime of Natural Resources of Celestial Bodies: Current State of the Relevant Russian Laws and Perspectives for a Common BRICS Legal Approach
https://doi.org/10.21684/2412-2343-2025-12-2-5-42
Abstract
In view of the current global outer space-related transformation processes, the legal regime concerning the natural resources of celestial bodies has become one of the most challenging issues to coherently resolve at international and, accordingly, national legal levels. This issue is even more evident in the context of the following factors. Firstly, international space law provides for a regime that is applicable to all space activities, but it has yet to establish a special regime specifically addressing the natural resources of celestial bodies. Secondly, in the absence of specific international law rules, contemporary international partnerships on celestial bodies, such as the US-led Artemis Campaign and the Sino-Russia initiative on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), do provide for their own vision on the future use of lunar natural resources: for instance, the United States, along with fifty partner states, follows a proactive legal approach (both for exploration and exploitation) as stipulated in the Artemis Accords, while the alternative ILRS emerging partnership articulates a broader, more general vision of the future in-situ use of lunar resources for the support of the relevant missions. Thirdly, current Russian laws (as well as the Chinese) do not specifically address this issue unlike those of the United States, Luxembourg, the UAE, and Japan. Fourthly, the BRICS cooperation, which includes representatives of both de facto competing Moon partnerships, also extends to the outer space domain. And, fifthly, related activities in outer space are economically feasible provided that a balanced multilateral approach is negotiated. Accordingly, based on an analysis of all these factors, this article focuses on determining mechanisms for the convergence, where admissible, of the different legal approaches so that a balanced multilateral regime may be established.
Keywords
international space law,
Outer Space Treaty,
Moon Agreement,
natural resources of celestial bodies,
space resources,
Artemis Accords,
International Lunar Research Station (ILRS),
Russian outer space laws,
BRICS
Supporting agencies: This research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant number 23-18-00977, https://rscf.ru/project/23-18-00977/.
About the Authors
A. Vylegzhanin
MGIMO University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexander Vylegzhanin – Professor, Department of International Law, Head, Laboratory of International Legal Research
76 Vernadskogo Ave., Moscow, 119454
M. Yuzbashyan
MGIMO University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Mariam Yuzbashyan – Participant, Russian Science Foundation Project No. 23-18-00977
76 Vernadskogo Ave., Moscow, 119454
G. Suvorov
ELWI
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Georgiy Suvorov – Associate
6 Gasheka St., Moscow, 125047
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For citations:
Vylegzhanin A., Yuzbashyan M., Suvorov G. The Legal Regime of Natural Resources of Celestial Bodies: Current State of the Relevant Russian Laws and Perspectives for a Common BRICS Legal Approach. BRICS Law Journal. 2025;12(2):5-42. https://doi.org/10.21684/2412-2343-2025-12-2-5-42
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