Venus, according to the Russians, is a “Russian Planet.” They are going to be focusing on the exploration and development of Venus, and have decided that it is now high priority. They have a mission coming up called Venera-D with the USA, but will also be sending out expeditions independently.
Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian Space Corporation Roscosmos says that they will also be sending additional expeditions to Venus. This comes after scientists revealed that a gas on Earth called phosphine had also been detected in the atmosphere of Venus. Which makes it that much more of an interesting place to claim.
Mars also has a host of resources but is not allowed to be owned by anyone due to the Outer Space Treaty, which the United States signed back in 1967. The treaty says nobody can own a celestial body. Which makes this declaration even more interesting.
Dmitry Rogozin has also been quoted as saying:
“We think that Venus is a Russian planet, so we shouldn’t lag behind. Projects of Venus missions are included in the united government program of Russia’s space exploration for 2021-2030.”
This probably just means that they will be taking extra initiative with Venus going forward, and is no reason to worry that the statement will cause conflict. But it also shows that there is now an even bigger race to find and possibly mine planets for resources in the future. Hopefully it won’t lead to a dystopian future that seems to be the focus of almost all sci-fi shows.
