Space launches are becoming more and more common as more commercial companies enter the space industrial complex. Astrobiotics, on January 8, 2024, attempted a significant step forward by becoming the first private enterprise to attempt a lander mission to the Moon called Peregrine. The spacecraft carried a number of payloads including small rovers, NASA experiments, time capsules, and the cremated remains of dozens of humans and one dog. That latter payload was paid for by the companies Elysium Space and Celestis who act as “Space Burial Companies”. The company Celestis has been selling access to “Space burials” for more than a decade.
This is not the first time that human remains have been launched to the Moon. Celestis helped NASA send the cremated remains of the celebrated astronomer Gene Shoemaker to the Moon in 1998 as part of the NASA Lunar Prospector mission that orbited the Moon for a time and on July 31, 1999, was crashed on the Moon. While this burial may have been the wishes of many people who wanted to honour Gene Shoemaker, this act hurt the Navajo Nation. According to the then Navajo President Albert Hale ““The moon is revered and it regulates life cycles, according to Navajo traditions and stories. To send something like that over there is sacrilege.”
As a result of that harm, NASA apologized to the Navajo and claimed no disrespect and committed to wider consultation in the future.
The future came and there was no consultation narrow or wide. On December 21, 2023, the Navajo Nation President asked NASA and the United States Department of Transportation (the agency is charge of regulating that space launch) to halt the mission and to consult with Indigenous Nations on the basis of Navajo and Indigenous laws along with American laws. In the letter President Nygren noted that “It is crucial to emphasize that the moon holds a sacred position in many Indigenous cultures, including ours,” and, “We view it as a part of our spiritual heritage, an object of reverence and respect. The act of depositing human remains and other materials, which could be perceived as discards in any other location, on the Moon is tantamount to desecration of this sacred space.”
The response to the Navajo concerns are disturbing. Celestis CEO and co-founder Charles M. Chafer said in a statement “Honestly, while we respect everyone’s beliefs, we do not find Mr. Nygren’s concerns to be compelling,”, while the NASA deputy associate administrator for exploration Joel Kearns noted that NASA has little oversight over the private space sector.
All of this together paints a picture of the future of space exploration and usage as yet another colonial endeavour. Alvin Harvey, a PhD student at MIT, scientist and member of the Navajo Nation explained the situation well in support of the rights of the Navajo Nation and how Indigenous Methods can offer guidance in how we engage with Outer Space. I am Mi’kmaq from Ktaqmkuk (or Newfoundland) so I am not qualified to speak to the harms done by the failed Peregrine mission.
The Moon is sacred to the Mi’kmaq as well and as noted, sacred to the Navajo peoples and many other Indigenous peoples. But the Moon is not only sacred, it is a relative and an ancestor. For many peoples the Moon is Grandmother, for others Grandfather. The Moon is family, not a global commons or a dead rock or a resource to be exploited. As I write this post, the Mi’kmaw are honouring Apuknajit, the time of winter which is now the hardest time of the year. This time is marked by the New Moon after the Full “Tom Cod Spawning” Moon. For the Mi’kmaw, the Moon is an Elder that shares wisdom. To send cremated remains to the Moon would be, for many Mi’kmaw people, disturbing and disrespectful. Based on working in Indigenous Astronomies and Space Ethics, there is no reason to believe that such an act would be disgusting. To be honest, I struggle for the right word the thought simply leaves a bad taste that I can’t seem to describe.
The response from the first time remains were shot at the Moon should have provided lessons for the Space industry to consult and embrace Indigenous methods in Space Exploration. But, since then the United States has led the growth of the privatization of the Space Industry and gave it credibility in the International Relations through the development of the Artemis Accords. Most Nations signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967 that declared Outer Space could not be claimed by any one nation, that any benefits be for the whole of humankind, and that any actions in Space are the responsibility of the Nation regulating the launch. The Artemis Accords claim not to contradict the Outer Space Treaty, but they allow for the usage and exploitation of celestial bodies and for private actors to operate in Outer Space for profit. It is ironic that the Outer Space Treaty (OST) prevents any individual, or Nation to claim territory on the Moon, but if anyone scoops up a piece of the Moon it is theirs. This is just another step towards colonialism.
According to the OST, the United States is responsible for the Peregrine Payload and its regulation. Yet, they allowed the remains to be launched and did so without consulting Indigenous Peoples as was once agreed. Because the payload was launched by a private company then this is considered fine, there is no reason to believe NASA would have accepted this payload if they were operating the launch. This is because NASA is a government organization and must be inclusive and responsive to Indigenous voice. The Peregrine Payload was launched by a third party Astrobiotics and third-party colonialism is still allowed today.
This is a failure to honour the OST and was met to uphold the Artemis Accords that allow private entities unregulated access to the Moon. Because of the OST, nations that license operators are responsible for those operators and as such should be consulting other nations about activities. Furthermore, nations that claim to support Indigenous rights, either through the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or through other treaties or relationships, must consult and work with Indigenous Peoples and Nations regarding Outer Space Activities. As Alvin Harvey wrote, this is an opportunity to be inclusive of Indigenous Methods in Outer Space and is an opportunity to create a new path forward as one of being a good relation with the Moon. I would add to that and note that if Nations respect Indigenous Peoples then working towards being a good relation with the Moon is a necessary path forward.
References
Native News Online, https://nativenewsonline.net/sovereignty/navajo-nation-president-objects-to-nasa-sending-cremated-human-remains-to-the-moon
NPR, https://www.npr.org/2024/01/08/1223377817/navajo-moon-human-remains
Nature, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00106-8
Spokesman Review, https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1998/jan/15/navajos-upset-after-ashes-sent-to-moon-nasa/
A Contrario ICL 