A reader of The Conversation  recently asked the following question:

“I have always wondered, in a distant future when humanity is able to settle permanently on a distant body (such as planet, moon or rocky body), are there any current legal frameworks that could be applied as a precedent for such individuals to “take ownership” of that body and its resources?” – Daniel, Croydon, Australia

And the Dean of the Law School, Prof Melissa de Zwart answered:

Despite regular excited talk, human “settlement” of another planet, the Moon or an asteroid may still be many years away. Physicist Andrew Coates sees major challenges in Elon Musk’s public plans to colonise Mars.

But mining of space resources is a realistic possibility – and several nations are already investing in extraction operations in space.

Read the full article in The Conversation here