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Claiming the Cosmos: Who Owns the Final Frontier

Darrell M. West
Release Date: December 10, 2026

In the new Space Race, with multiple countries and competing interests deciding who gets to claim victory over the cosmos, it’s time to analyze the legal, policy, and regulatory aspects of space endeavors, define the role of private corporations in exploration, and determine how to handle space tourism, mining, and settlements.

The expansion of space exploration raises both fundamental and existential questions for humanity. How should scientific advancement take place? What would the discovery of life elsewhere mean for our connected society, geopolitics, and religion? Who decides how these discoveries are funded? Darrell M. West uses a decision-making framework based on collegial governance and expert consultations to shape an international space policy guided by key principles of transparency, collaboration, sustainability, human safety, public oversight, shared infrastructure investment, global cooperation, knowledge-building, demilitarization, and pan-nationalism.

Author

Darrell West
Darrell M. West Senior Fellow - Governance Studies, Center for Technology Innovation (CTI), Center for Effective Public Management (CEPM), Douglas Dillon Chair in Governmental Studies

Reviews
In this compelling and well-researched work, Darrell West deftly takes readers beyond the romanticized myths of space exploration into the vital details that will determine our future in the stars, probing everything from the forms of space governance that will take shape, to issues ranging from armed conflict, taxation, economics, human rights and even the agriculture of Mars. “Claiming the Cosmos” is a must-read for not only the architects of these future settlements, but a guide for anyone who has ever dreamed of leaving Earth.
Christian Davenport, author of “Rocket Dreams: Musk, Bezos, and the Inside Story of the New, Trillion-Dollar Space Race”
A critical perspective from the final frontier! Darrell West’s "Claiming the Cosmos" gives us a clear-eyed look at the challenges and possibilities that await as space exploration and the space economy grow at exponential rates. West provides guidance on how to avoid making the same mistakes of the past in this new realm, arguing for a values-based system that put humans first and learns from past eras of exploration. A fun and engaging read that will give you hope for the future!
Erika Hamden, Director, University of Arizona Space Institute and Associate Professor of Astrophysics
As our technological capabilities grow, critical decisions governing how humanity lives and works in space can no longer be deferred. Darrell West's “Claiming the Cosmos” faces these wildly divergent problems head-on, from whether Mars settlers have a right to bear arms, to responsibilities of childrearing and healthcare, and even the religious and social consequences of the discovery of life beyond Earth. The book offers both a clear-eyed overview of how we got to this point and provocative solutions worthy of public debate.
Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy, The Planetary Society
The number of space launches, Earth satellites, and missions to the Moon and planets have increased exponentially over the recent decades, introducing a highly touted “space economy", with a proliferation of new ‘space startups’ and an increasing number of international players. But where is the ‘rule book’ and what are the ‘governing bodies’? In his timely and prescient book, “Claiming the Cosmos: Who Owns the Final Frontier?", Darrell West has provided a road map of legal, policy and regulatory steps that need to be taken in order to avoid national and global chaos. Because ‘space’ permeates humanity’s future, this book should be required reading for everyone.
James W. Head, Research Professor of Planetary Geoscience, Brown University
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