Space Mining and Environmental Hazards: Assessing India’s Legal and Institutional Preparedness

Abstract

Humanity has developed space mining into both a technological advancement frontier and an economic opportunity because it provides critical mineral resources beyond Earth together with water reserves and energy supplies. The pursuit of space resources creates multiple environmental risks which involve both orbital debris accumulation and the damage caused to celestial bodies and permanent destruction of outer space life systems. This paper examines environmental difficulties through India’s institutional and legal system while using an environmental lens. Despite the rising space exploration capability of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) India lacks detailed regulatory measures to handle ecological threats stemming from space mining operations. Indian space mining enterprises operate under broad guidelines from the Draft Space Activities Bill (2017) and the regulatory oversight of IN-SPACe due to minimal specific regulations. The Outer Space Treaty (1967) has India as a member though the country has not yet adopted the Moon Agreement (1979) which sets regulations for lunar resource extraction and environmental protection. Indifference in legal interpretation and void environmental standards about space protection exposes India to lack of preparedness for fulfilling its space environmental obligations. India’s strategic goals remain distant from its regulatory structures because they require urgent institutional changes. The research supports developing an active structured legal structure which combines space governance and environmental protection for India’s program. The researchers draw policy suggestions from US and Luxembourgian international legal models to advance India’s compliance with international environmental and ethical norms. The research delves into how India can contribute to developing sustainable space mining methods that benefit the Global South. The research demonstrates that India must implement regulations for environmental protection during space mining operations to preserve its ecological equilibrium and prove its responsibility as a nation engaging in space exploration.