Committee: DISEC 

Committee Type: Futuristic General Assembly

Agenda: The Future of Space Exploration and Militarisation with a Special Emphasis on Lunar Expeditions and Interplanetary Economic Opportunities 

Freeze Date: July 7th 2045

Additional Directors: Jai Singh, Aanya Chand

Committee Email: disecinter25@gmail.com

 

"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny"

-Yoda

   

  

July 7th 2043, The Psyche Fallout -  A catastrophic explosion at a UN backed asteroid mining center located on the hundred quintillion dollar asteroid, 16 Psyche, located around half a million miles away from  ‘the lost planet,’ Earth. This positions the world powers, India, China, Russia along with the United States of America in a political blame-game, each accusing the other of sabotage. This incident sparks the largest tri-continental sanction humanity has ever seen. This edges the globe closer to a full scale war, but this time, in orbit. On the second anniversary of the Modern Doomsday, world representatives meet at the 121st session of DISEC to discuss the repercussions of large scale trade blockages, sanctions and embargoes, to discuss solutions diplomatically, to secure not only the lives of the current generation, but also the lives of the children of the modern era. 

 

As humanity expands its footprints into outer space, the Psyche Fallout serves as a chilling reminder of the importance of collaboration and trust amongst nations. It underscores the urgent need to revisit the foundational agreements that have been governing outer space activities for decades. Starting with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, this treaty was negotiated and put into force under the auspices of the United Nations. The United States, United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union were the key signatories of this treaty, which, along with prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons in space, also precluded any country from claiming sovereignty over outer space and celestial bodies. The Moon Treaty, came into force in 1984, aimed to regulate the exploration and use of lunar resources while declaring the lunar surface as a 'common heritage of mankind'. All these treaties now face unprecedented challenges as nations push the boundaries of exploration and resource extraction. 

 

The journey beyond the Earth's atmosphere was marked by spectacular milestones that define human's potential to explore further beyond Earth. From the initial Apollo missions setting foot on the Moon to the collaborative Artemis Program, establishing permanent lunar research bases by the 2030s, the expeditions have laid the ground for productive interplanetary exploration. The Luna Prosperitas 2033 joint mission of the global powers represented a new generation in lunar resource extraction and habitat development. Aether-4's Mars expedition of 2035 was one such example that unveiled unprecedented technological development, where autonomous mining colonies were successfully deployed on the red planet. These ventures not only showcase humanity's ceaseless quest for knowledge but also the potential of collaboration to achieve interstellar milestones. Nevertheless, they highlight the risks involved, as the race for space dominance now threatens to overshadow the collaborative efforts that once drove these missions.

 

Evidently, space technology and interplanetary economic opportunities have become the cornerstone of global wealth, political stability and the most crucial aspect of economic growth, with industries like interstellar travel, space tourism, construction and manufacturing as well as asteroid mining thriving.
The global space economy was valued at $2 trillion in 2030, a decade ago, and has been growing rapidly since, touching $4 trillion in 2037, due to the growth of sectors like communication, navigation, weather prediction and machine learning that have unlocked multiple opportunities in space.
This growth accumulated in the tragic Psyche Fallout in 2038 resulting in the loss of $100 quintillion, and a chain reaction of geopolitical conflicts, proving that space has become a focal point for economic expansion and political rivalry.  

 

What started with the curiosity of man to locate different metals, culminated with the exploration of the vast geography of Earth. Man's curiosity grew further, with NEEMO missions to uncover the depths of our oceans. Nothing lasts forever, just like the resources on Earth. This led entrepreneurs and nations to explore interplanetary missions to Mars, Our Moon and asteroids. By the 2030’s, various colonies had been set up with over 10 million residents on both Mars, and the Moon. These colonies had been declared common territory, with no nation controlling any of the land on other planets, with the focus on collective development. Battling the historic past of political tensions created by the ancient Cold War, and multiple space expeditions, long lasting political relations are dissipating with every passing second. Nations now have to deliberate upon the long-term consequences of the multiple disputes created by space exploration and militarisation. With these very historic feuds sizzling yet again, how will the repercussions of humanity's first orbital war affect the residents of these celestial bodies? Can the nations figure out collective compromise and re-establish relations or are we witnessing the start of the third World War? The fate of humanity lies in the hands of the delegates representing their respective countries and the world can only wait and watch.