Science & Tech · Space · 1 day ago
Moon ambitions test international rules on ownership and mining
Elon Musk has said he wants to build a self-growing city on the Moon within a decade, and Jeff Bezos has expressed a desire to colonise it.
The plans come as the United States and other powers compete for influence in space.
A 1967 United Nations treaty says the Moon should be used for peaceful purposes, but it does not set out rules for mining its resources.
A 1979 treaty called the Moon Agreement said lunar resources are the common heritage of humanity, but only 18 nations ratified it; the United States and Russia did not.
The United States and several other countries later passed laws allowing their citizens and companies to own and sell space resources.
These different approaches have raised questions about how the older treaty applies and who may benefit from lunar activity.
Countries that establish infrastructure and sustained operations on the Moon may gain influence over its future, but the sources do not say who will control it.
Billionaires and major powers are pursuing plans to establish a presence on the Moon, raising questions about who can control or mine its resources.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bars national claims of sovereignty over the Moon but does not set out rules for lunar mining.
A 1979 UN agreement described the Moon and its natural resources as the common heritage of mankind, but only 18 nations ratified it.
The United States and several other countries have passed laws allowing their citizens and private entities to own and sell space resources.
Space-law experts disagree on how the existing treaty framework should be interpreted as lunar activity expands.
- Who
- Billionaires including Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, major world powers, and countries with space-resource laws.
- What
- Plans for lunar settlements and competition over Moon activity are testing international rules on ownership and mining.
- When
- The article was published on October 10, 2026; the treaties and laws discussed date from 1967, 1979 and 2015.
- Where
- The Moon, under international agreements and national laws.
- Why
- The Outer Space Treaty does not set out rules for mining the Moon, while countries and companies are pursuing lunar activity.
Moon Agreement advocates
US space-resource law supporters
Lunar resources
Moon Agreement advocates
The 1979 Moon Agreement describes the Moon and its natural resources as the common heritage of mankind.
US space-resource law supporters
A 2015 US law allows US citizens and private entities to own and sell space resources.
Mining rules
Moon Agreement advocates
The Moon Agreement sought to address the lack of mining provisions in the Outer Space Treaty.
US space-resource law supporters
The US approach allows resource ownership without adopting the Moon Agreement’s proposed framework.
very general and broad
faith in the long-term endurance of the treaty, because it's most useful to think about as a constitution
the Moon is becoming the next frontier of geopolitical competition
being first matters
A USSR rocket carrying a Soviet flag crashed onto the lunar surface, raising concerns about possible claims of sovereignty over the Moon.
The United Nations Outer Space Treaty was adopted, establishing that the Moon should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.
The UN Moon Agreement stated that the Moon and its natural resources are the common heritage of mankind.
A US act granted US citizens and private entities the ability to own and sell space resources.
ABC Australia published an article examining lunar ambitions and international rules on ownership and mining.
- Outer Space Treaty
- Adopted in 1967
- Moon Agreement
- Ratified by 18 nations, including Australia
- US space-resource act
- Passed in 2015
- Other countries with similar legislation
- Luxembourg, the UAE and Japan
- Space industry projection
- The UN says the global space industry is on a trajectory to be worth a trillion dollars by 2030
Sources
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