By Kurtis Archer | 2024-12-16

With the ever increasing exploration of space, the need for regulations -- and consequences -- governing the use of outer space has arisen, legal analysts say.

But the field of space criminology and astro-green criminology is largely uncharted territory, and scholars debate what the exact definitions should be and which areas of study they should include.

Green criminology is defined as the study of harms against the environment, so astro-green criminology could be defined as the study (by criminologists) of space-related environmental harms caused by human actions.

Mainstream criminology concerns itself only with actions deemed illegal, not just harmful actions -- putting green criminology and astro-green criminology in a niche so far.

Though green criminological scholarship has had steady movement over the past two decades, few criminologists have weighed in on the future of illegal space activities.

"Human activities in outer space should be a concern for criminologists and, in particular, green criminologists," Jack Lampkin, senior lecturer in criminology at York St. John University in England and a scholar of space criminology, told BlueShift.

Preemptive space law

Extraterrestrial regulations will be needed in the future, and putting laws on the books before space development brings humanity to other worlds will help to ensure celestial objects are respected as operations develop there, space professionals say.

Space crime legislation must clearly demonstrate specific actions deemed illegal and the reasoning behind the laws, analysts say.

Constant reviews and revisions will be needed, as room to define new types of space crimes likely will always exist.

"While much of the discussion of space exploration focuses on the benefits of such activities, academics in law and space studies must consider what criminal law applies to space because crime and bad behavior are inevitable," said James Barney, professor of legal studies at American Military University.

"For example, what law would apply if a space traveler from Russia killed another from the United States?" he said to BlueShift.

"Given the current geopolitical environment, it is unlikely that all of the leading space-faring nations would agree to a body of criminal law, potentially creating a Wild West environment in space," he added.

Space criminology

Very little is being done to advance space criminology, said Lampkin.

"There are scientists, psychologists, and human ethologists studying human relationships in confined and isolated environments ... [by attempting to] replicate the conditions aboard space stations and extraterrestrial settlements," he told BlueShift.

"However, it is difficult to simulate criminal/deviant behavior in outer space ... due to obvious ethical challenges," he said.

"The crimes we are familiar with on Earth -- like murder, assault, fraud etc. -- are not crimes if/when committed in outer space," Lampkin said. "It is impossible to study crime in outer space when it technically doesn't exist."

"This leaves us in the precarious position of reacting to outer space harms and deviancy once they inevitably occur, which isn't a very productive place to be," he said.

Like Barney, Lampkin suspects that the multitude of nationalities involved in space expansionism will lead to clashes among space powers trying to establish international laws.

What is deemed as acceptable behavior in space will not be identical from culture to culture, he said.

One solution is to discuss space criminology with a focus on harm and deviancy as opposed to traditional crimes, Lampkin said.

"Perhaps then, criminalizing behaviors that are detrimental to others, like stealing limited food supplies, might be a better place to start," he said. "But even if we criminalize certain behaviors, how would we enforce adherence?"

"There is no criminal justice or policing infrastructure or deterrence in the depths of space," Lampkin said.

Protecting other worlds

Space regulations should be established before the activities they concern are developed and turned into a reality, as doing so will help prevent avoidable catastrophes, analysts say.

Future extraterrestrial operations will lead to the formation of space criminology standards, and the following topics are concerns or will soon merit concern:

1. Space debris -- orbital trash above Earth poses environmental hazards and is worsening with time.

2. Pollution from launches -- emissions in the upper atmosphere increase with every launch and compound ozone depletion.

3. Future mining of the Moon, Mars, and asteroids -- once resource extraction operations in space begin, space mining companies need to consider measures to protect environments.

4. Future protection of extraterrestrial heritage sites -- symbolic in nature but important to the culture of human space exploration and a testament that off-world sites can be respected.

5. Responsible future usage of extraterrestrial environments -- as humans colonize the Moon, Mars, the asteroid belt, and beyond, they need to consider measures to protect those natural environments.

Governing economic activities in space

The last point is especially relevant to space criminology and astro-green criminology as economic activities move into space.

Resources extracted from the Moon could be used to provide lunar settlements with metals, concrete, structural frames, buildings, stoneware, glass windows, solar panels for energy, and more.

These will be constructed right on the Moon after extraction of its materials.

Building a base on the hazardous lunar surface will require an enormous number of safety code mandates and licenses to ensure compliance with certain standards.

Materials mined from the Moon can also be used to make various kinds of engines, superconductors, radar systems, medical implants, and more, researchers are projecting.

At least 17 rare-earth minerals can be found on the Moon, resources that are common in modern electronics.

All the items and technologies created from the Moon's raw materials will have to pass certain requirements for safety and stability before use.