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.