Can You Own Property on the Moon?

 

Whether you want to own your own piece of the moon or want to create a space outpost on Earth, there are several things you should know before you start your project. These include legal ramifications, the cost of building your outpost, and whether or not you can actually own property on the moon.

Legal ramifications

Having a commercial base on the moon would be a major undertaking, and would require a fair bit of legal work. The Chinese and Russian space agencies have announced plans to build bases on the moon in the near future.

The Outer Space Treaty, which entered into force in 1967, states that outer space is for the benefit of all mankind. It also forbids the creation of military bases on the moon. This is because the Moon is beyond national sovereignty. However, this does not stop nations from claiming ownership of celestial bodies. Hence, the legal ramifications of building property on the Moon remain a thorn in the side of the space agencies.

As the number of spacefaring nations increases, it is likely that the legal obstacles to colonizing the Moon will become a thing of the past. A number of space agencies are aiming to create international villages on the moon by the mid-2030s. A group of mainly Australian academics have released a draft of the Declaration of the Rights of the Moon.

The Outer Space Treaty is the primary international law instrument governing outer space activities. However, it has some major holes. As a result, legal experts are still debating the best way to go about claiming the moon.

Cost of building a lunar outpost

During the Space Race in the 1960s, many countries had dreamed of visiting the Moon. In the decades to come, safe travel to the Moon will become possible.

The goal is to establish a crewed base on the Moon. There are several ways to do this, and the main goal is to build a sustainable presence. However, the cost of building a lunar outpost is a big obstacle.

According to a Center for Strategic and International Studies study, a base on the Moon could cost as much as $35 billion to construct and maintain. The cost of transportation would be a factor, as well.

An advanced base would have included three power units (at least ninety percent lunar-derived) and three earthmover/crane systems. The base would also have included a particle accelerator, ceramics and metallurgy plants, and a radio telescope. This infrastructure would support 18 crew members.

A manned lunar outpost would require a large launch vehicle. This would cost at least $229 million, as well as the necessary space transportation systems. Alternatively, the cost of building a lunar outpost could be reduced to $130 million when the transportation cost is below $300K per kilogram.

The cost of building a lunar outpost may be reduced even further with existing equipment. Many of the systems needed to build a manned lunar outpost could be reused for future commercial missions.

Whether or not you can own a piece of the moon

Whether or not you can own Build property on moon has been an important question since the early days of space exploration. With the recent announcement of plans to build a permanent base on the moon, the issue has resurfaced.

There are a number of companies selling plots of land on the moon, most of them claiming that they are the owners of the moon. In fact, one company, the Lunar Embassy Corporation in Nevada, claims to have sold 410 million acres of land on the moon, albeit for a price.

Another company, the Lunar Embassy, claims to have found a loophole in the Outer Space Treaty. By selling a few thousand acres of land per day, the company hopes to put humans on the moon. They also claim that they have created a currency system for moon property owners.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, as it was known, was the first international legal document to deal with space exploration. It was signed by the US, the Soviet Union, and the UK. It was the first international treaty to ban the ownership of celestial bodies by a nation, but did not stop individuals from claiming ownership.

Another space law expert, Frans von der Dunk of Leiden University in the Netherlands, says that the Outer Space Treaty hasn't stopped ownership claims, but it has made it more difficult to enforce.