The UN wants to prevent an arms race in space. How? By reforming international space law, which hasn't been updated in more than 50 years.

The current treaty was negotiated during the Cold War, when only two countries — the US and the Soviet Union — had viable programs. Ratified by 111 countries, it bans space nukes and grants all countries the right to peacefully explore space — including the Moon.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty also says countries can’t claim sovereignty over celestial bodies. But that was before private space exploration by the likes of Richard Branson or Jeff Bezos.

The UN thinks it's time to update the law with more concrete rules and norms not only to prevent conflict, but also to regulate things like future mining on the Moon.

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Caracas, Venezuela ? In the photos, Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez (center) met with US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (center, left) at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 4, 2026. Rodríguez discussed a bilateral agenda in sectors such as energy and reiterated that her government is "ready" to cooperate with the United States.
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Delcy Rodríguez, the long-time Venezuelan regime insider who took over after the United States abducted her boss Nicolás Maduro in January, had been under US sanctions since 2018.