A treaty from the 1960s declared that nobody can own outer space. Half a century later, billionaires and superpowers see fortunes to be made nonetheless.
In Robert Heinlein’s 1950 novella “The Man Who Sold the Moon,” a tycoon auctions off title rights to the lunar surface. To head off such concerns, the superpowers made the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. The moon, more than 100 countries agreed, belonged to no one.
These days, the matter appears less settled. The world’s superpowers are racing to build nuclear-powered lunar bases, and corporate leaders have their own moon dreams. Elon Musk envisions “trillion-dollar markets” including lunar data centers. Jeff Bezos wants to move heavy industry to the moon. The United States is eyeing resources near the moon’s south pole; China and Russia want to build their base near the same pole.
Nearly 60 years after the treaty was ratified, questions remain. What jurisdiction can a state claim on a moon base? Can a company profit? Past attempts to answer these questions have largely failed. The Moon Treaty declared lunar resources a common heritage, but only 17 countries agreed. The biggest powers did not want to share technology. One argument gaining traction: States can own what they extract even if they can’t own the moon itself. The Artemis Accords, signed by 76 nations, declare that extracting resources does not violate the Outer Space Treaty.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing