Who Owns the Moon and the Entire Universe? Space Lawyers Have the Answer

In a time when more and more countries and private companies are attempting to explore the Moon, one very important question arises: Who owns the Silver Globe? Let's see what the experts think about it.

Do you like to observe the Moon ? This is one of those views that delights every time. Okay, but… Who actually owns the Earth's natural satellite ?

Remember the famous photo of Buzz Aldrin right next to the American flag stuck in the surface of the Moon ? You might think it's a symbol of... annexation. Don't worry, it's not like that.

In 1967, long before Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed, all space powers, including the United States and the USSR , signed the Outer Space Treaty . Its main premise was that space belongs to all of humanity. No country can therefore establish colonies in outer space, including on the Moon .

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon / photo: Unsplash, NASA

As you can see, it was quite a long time ago. A lot has changed since 1967, and the subject is coming back now, at a time when we are returning to plans for exploration and… mining. Because yes, no one can take over a piece of the Moon , but what about the minerals that are taken out of it? This is where – and no, this is not a joke – serious legal discussions begin.

These are the topics that Frans von der Dunk , a professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and one of the most renowned experts in space law , examines. And while I imagine that someone like him could defend Darth Vader on trial for treason against the Republic and killing all the younglings in the Jed temple , his line of work is... very serious. Among those involved in this specialty, questions about who has the right to the Moon and its resources are increasingly being asked. The subject is not so simple, however.

Still from the movie Star Wars / photo: promotional materials

Von der Dunk claims that there are two interpretations. One, promoted by the US and Luxembourg , compares space to the oceans: it is a shared space, but if you legally extract something, it is yours. Russia , Brazil and Belgium, on the other hand, believe that such goods should go to the common pool of humanity and be extracted under strict international control .

As more missions and research are planned for the Moon's resources, space lawyers may find themselves keeping themselves busy.

The aforementioned specialist is also certain that he and his colleagues will have to rule on issues other than the natural satellite . More and more private companies are investing in technologies for extracting raw materials from asteroids, and such celestial bodies have the same status as the Silver Globe.

Illustrative photo / photo: Unsplash, Jeremy Perkins