In recent news, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) space agency recently announced they will not be able to join China’s first robotic moon mission due to a decades-old US trade law. The Chang’e-5 mission is expected to launch later this year and bring back lunar rock and soil samples to China.
The UAE had originally intended to collaborate with China’s mission by contributing its own rover, but due to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) the rover cannot be sent to the Chang’e-5 mission.
The ITAR, which has been in place since 1976, is a US law that regulates sensitive aspects of the global arms trade, such as preventing shipments of military goods, including spacecraft and satellites, to certain countries.
The UAE, although not a member of the US-led ITAR, has been in compliance with it since 1989 as per the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Under this regime, goods able to be launched into space (such as spaceships and satellites) cannot be sent to countries listed on the US government’s ‘Arms Export Control Classification List.’ China is on this list, thus preventing the UAE from sending its rover to the Chang’e-5 mission.
This means that the UAE is missing out on a chance to collaborate with China on a potentially historic mission. It also means that the UAE is at a serious disadvantage when it comes to the development of its own space industry, as it cannot participate in projects where other nations are banned from doing so.
In spite of the UAE’s disappointment, the 40th anniversary of the ITAR provides an opportunity for the US to review and potentially update the law to create a new dynamic for space exploration and trade between countries. If the ITAR is adjusted, it will benefit countries such as the UAE and could lead to an increase in international collaboration in the space industry.
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