Concept of permanent human habitation outside of Earth
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For hypothetical large-scale space settlements, see Space settlement. For contemporary habitation modules, see Space habitat (facility).
Artist's rendering of an envisioned lunar mining facilityArtist's rendering of a crewed floating outpost on Venus of NASA's High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC)
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Space colonization is the use of outer space for colonization, such as permanent habitation, exploitation or territorial claims. Extraterrestrial colonization is its broader form, including the use of celestial bodies, other than Earth, for colonization.
The inhabitation and territorial use of extraterrestrial space has been proposed, for example, for space settlements or extraterrestrial mining enterprises. To date, no permanent space settlement other than temporary space habitats have been set up, nor has any extraterrestrial territory or land been legally claimed. Making territorial claims in space is prohibited by international space law, defining space as a common heritage. International space law has had the goal to prevent colonial claims and militarization of space,[1][2] and has advocated the installation of international regimes to regulate access to and sharing of space, particularly for specific locations such as the limited space of geostationary orbit[1] or the Moon.
Many arguments for and against space settlement have been made.[3] The two most common in favor of colonization are survival of human civilization and life from Earth in the event of a planetary-scale disaster (natural or human-made), and the availability of additional resources in space that could enable expansion of human society. The most common objections include concerns that the commodification of the cosmos may be likely to enhance the interests of the already powerful, including major economic and military institutions; enormous opportunity cost as compared to expending the same resources here on Earth; exacerbation of pre-existing detrimental processes such as wars, economic inequality, and environmental degradation.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
A space settlement would set a precedent that would raise numerous socio-political questions. The mere construction of the needed infrastructure presents daunting technological and economic challenges. Space settlements are generally conceived as providing for nearly all (or all) the needs of larger numbers of humans, in an environment out in space that is very hostile to human life and inaccessible for maintenance and supply from Earth. It would involve much development of currently primitive technologies, such as controlled ecological life-support systems. With the high cost of orbital spaceflight (around $1400 per kg, or $640 per pound, to low Earth orbit by Falcon Heavy), a space settlement would currently be massively expensive. On the technological front, there is ongoing progress in making access to space cheaper (reusable launch systems could reach $20 per kg to orbit),[10] and in creating automated manufacturing and construction techniques.
There are yet no plans for building space settlement by any large-scale organization, either government or private. However, many proposals, speculations, and designs for space settlements have been made through the years, and a considerable number of space colonization advocates and groups are active. Several famous scientists, such as Freeman Dyson, have come out in favor of space settlement.[11]
^ abCite error: The named reference Collis 2009 pp. 47–65 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Wilson Center 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^For example, The Space Show Archived 2020-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, an online radio program, has had on average 16 shows per month going back to 2001, many of which discuss space settlement.
^Alan Marshall (1995) Development and Imperialism in Space, Space Policy Vol. 11, Issue 1, pp41-52.
^Deudney, Daniel (2020). Dark Skies: Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, and the Ends of Humanity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-009024-1. OCLC 1145940182.
^Torres, Phil (June 2018). "Space colonization and suffering risks: Reassessing the "maxipok rule"". Futures. 100: 74–85. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2018.04.008. S2CID 149794325.
^Dickens, Peter; Ormrod, James (Nov 2010). The Humanization of the Cosmos - to What End?. Monthly Review. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
^Dickens, Peter (Feb 2008). Who Really Won the Space Race? Archived 2016-10-03 at the Wayback Machine, Monthly Review
^Dickens, Peter (March 2017). Astronauts at Work: The Social Relations of Space Travel Archived 2017-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, Monthly Review
^"Elon Musk on SpaceX's Reusable Rocket Plans". 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^Britt, Robert Roy (8 October 2001). "Stephen Hawking: Humanity Must Colonize Space to Survive". space.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 2006-07-28..
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maintained by colonialism. Colonization is sometimes used synonymously with settling, as with colonisation in biology, but while colonization historically involved...
SpaceX has stated its ambition to facilitate the colonization of Mars via the development of the Starship launch vehicle. The company states that this...
model for space flight, exploration and ultimately human presence in the form of colonization. In the 1970s the word and goal of colonization was discouraged...
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between space exploration and human survival appears in Louis J. Halle, Jr.'s 1980 article in Foreign Affairs, in which he stated colonization of space will...
Colonization of space was claimed by Stephen Hawking to be the best way to ensure the survival of humans as a species. Other reasons for colonizing space...
of the planet Mars Colonization of the asteroid belt – Proposed concepts for the human colonization of the asteroids Colonization of the Moon – Settlement...
learned from ocean colonization may prove applicable to spacecolonization. The ocean may prove simpler to colonize than outer space and thus occur first...
of space missions. Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's decades-long reusable launch system development program and ambition of colonizing Mars...
those in the asteroid belt, have been suggested as possible sites of spacecolonization. Motives include the survival of humanity, and the specific economic...
largest moon Titan is one of several candidates for possible future colonization of the outer Solar System, though protection against extreme cold is...
including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, planetary exploration, and transportation of humans and cargo. All spacecraft...
presence requires to be spacefaring Space advocacy – Advocacy for exploration and/or colonization of spaceSpacecolonization – Concept of permanent human habitation...
philosophical underpinnings may favor the imperialist development of space. Spacecolonization has been criticized as a continuation of imperialism and colonialism...
issues of space ethics include space debris mitigation and the militarization of space, but also more theoretical topics like spacecolonization, terraforming...
July 28, 2009. Gundam Science, The High Frontier - G.K. O'neil's Spacecolonization plan, Gundam Century, Out Magazine special edition, Renewal Version...
the moon and Mars." Weinstein, Leonard M. (January 2003). "SpaceColonization Using Space-Elevators from Phobos" (PDF). AIP Conference Proceedings. 654:...
ESTEE (Earth Space Technical Ecosystem Enterprises), based in Switzerland and Britain, that advocates human space exploration, spacecolonization, and sustainable...
flexibility, tolerance of emotional experiences, and community engagement. Spacecolonization is a proposed alternative to improve the odds of surviving an extinction...
relocation in the Sperry Rand Building. In 1967, the Technical Committee on Space and Atmospheric Science launched a study to capture the opinion of its members...
Lego Space is a Lego theme which focuses on astronauts, spacecolonization, spaceships, and extraterrestrial life. Introduced in 1978, it is one of the...
Earth; space law; nation-building off-Earth; and the difficulties of supplying colonies. It also weighs the potential benefits from Lunar colonization, Martian...
interstellar colonization. Many specific scientific and engineering details are presented, as are numerous issues involved in spacecolonization. Savage takes...
theme". Works related to space travel have popularized such concepts as time dilation, space stations, and spacecolonization.: 69–80 : 743 While generally...
Axiom Space, Inc., also known as Axiom Space, is an American privately funded space infrastructure developer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded...
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