Saudi Arabia’s decision to withdraw from the 1979 Moon Agreement made the news. Official reasons for this move are yet to be revealed, but the Kingdom already announced its ambitious target: to return to outer space four decades after the first Saudi astronaut’s flight, and reach the top five spacefaring states.
The first national space policy of KSA is taking shape based on Saudi Vision 2030 aiming to transform the nation into “a pioneering and successful global model of excellence, on all fronts”. The nascent space sector, in its turn, positions itself as a “key contributor to Saudi Arabia's growth and prosperity and as an enabler of future generations, to benefit humankind”. The clear trend to support private space activities, as well as the need to comply with the Kingdom's international commitments (including under the Artemis Accords) require due domestic regulation which is expected to emerge soon.