Who Owns the Moon? Here’s What the UN Agreement Says About Lunar Ownership

Several nations, including the United States and China, are in a race to make the first landing on the Moon, and there are fears that the first to do so could prevent the others from doing the same. However, an existing UN agreement had already laid down the terms for owning our only natural satellite.

Who Owns the Moon?

NASA intends to return people to the Moon by having the Artemis crew arrive in 2026. By 2030, China claims to have sent people to the moon. NASA administrator Bill Nelson admitted that China could possibly beat NASA in the moon race.

But this new space competition could bring Earthly conflicts to the lunar surface in an era of resurgent great-power politics. University of Kansas geologist Justin Holcomb cautions that "our relationship with the Moon is going to fundamentally change very soon." He claims space exploration is currently "outpacing our laws" in speed.

One significant difference is that firms are now competing with governments on Moon missions. In January, a US commercial mission named Peregrine declared it would send human ashes, DNA samples, and a branded sports drink to the Moon. It never made it there due to a fuel leak. Still, it did inspire discussion about how providing this unique inventory aligned with the treaty's guiding concept that exploration should benefit all people.

However, nation states continue to be the dominant actors in all of this through private enterpriseAccording to Sa'id Mostehsar, head of the London Institute of Space Policy and Law, a state must grant permission for a firm to travel into space, and this permission is subject to international treaties.

Even now, there is still a lot of prestige associated with joining the select group of moon landers. With these trips under their belts, India and Japan might legitimately declare themselves major actors in space.

Additionally, a country's economy can benefit greatly from the innovation and jobs generated by a thriving space industry.

A 1967 UN resolution states that no country is allowed to own the Moon. According to the aptly named Outer Space Treaty, everyone owns space, and any exploration must serve all states' interests and further humankind's welfare.

ALSO READ: China Could Beat NASA in Moon Race but US Agency Warns Some of Its Civilian Space Missions Could Be Military Programs

Why Nations Are After the Moon?

The Moon race offers its resources as an even greater prize. Despite its seemingly desolate appearance, the lunar surface is home to minerals like rare earth, metals like iron and titanium, and helium, used in everything from superconductors to medical devices.

The worth of all this is estimated to be in the billions or quadrillions. Thus, it makes sense that some people believe the Moon is a good place to make a lot of money. However, it's crucial to remember that this would be a very long-term commitment and that the technology required to retrieve and extract these lunar riches is still a ways ahead.

According to an international pact signed in 1979, no state or organization was allowed to claim ownership of the resources there. However, it was not well-received.

Only 17 countries were party to it, and none have sent people to the moon. In 2015, the US passed a law permitting its citizens and industries to collect, utilize, and sell any space substance.

Another abundant resource on the Moon is water. According to Sara Russell, a planetary sciences professor at the Natural History Museum, the first Moon rocks returned by the Apollo astronauts were believed to be entirely dry when they were analyzed. However, a revolution occurred ten years ago when we discovered they contained minute amounts of water trapped in phosphate crystals.