Who Owns The Moon?
Want to own a piece of land? Well… all you have to do is do some research, find a good real estate agent, negotiate a reasonable price, and pay for it. So, what if you wanted to buy land on the moon? Well, that’s a different story altogether.
Unfortunately, the rules of property acquisition in our society today do not apply to extraterrestrial real estate. The process of buying land on the moon is pretty much ambiguous. For a long time, the only home mankind has known has been the earth, we may have colonized its length and breadth and created modern civilization, but we do not have adequate plans, rules or laws that will be suitable for humanity outside of our blue planet.
The 21st-century technological accomplishments, particularly the invention of rockets, have proven that humanity’s destiny is not restricted to our current terrestrial space. Thanks to the Apollo missions, we now know that it is possible to reach a different celestial body and it is without a doubt that man will eventually venture out into the stars. In 1967, the United Nations sponsored the “Outer Space Treaty,” which forms the basis of international space law. The treaty states that no nation or corporation can lay claim to the moon or other planetary bodies. This treaty advocates peaceful purposes for celestial bodies and establishes that the moon and other similar space structures belong to all nations. So, as a species, the moon is essentially our shared heritage; it belongs to everybody.
This all seems great at first glance. However, when we examine our lunar situation more closely, we’ll realize that there is more to this than meets the eye.
The Inevitable Moon War
Looking at photos of the moon, one simply sees a dry, grey, dusty expanse of land riddled with giant bullet holes. However, further scrutiny reveals that the moon is far more than an arid space bombarded by meteorites; although it looks plain on the surface, it turns out the moon is home to a vast array of resources and useful raw materials which hold tremendous value including regolith, aluminum, magnesium, helium 3 and even water!
Helium 3, for instance, is a very important and rare isotope which could be used one day to power future fusion reactors. Water, on the other hand, can be processed into rocket fuel which will be extremely valuable for carrying out rocket launches from the lunar surface. This approach will cost significantly less compared to launching from the earth and will lay the foundation for humanity to spread out and colonize the rest of the solar system.
So, the moon is definitely not a dead rock, and with its attractive resources and immense opportunities, there is most likely going to be a fight over the right to its ownership in the near future. This is further expounded when one considers the fact that major nations like the US, Russia, and China have refused to sign the updated moon treaty which prevents countries from mining celestial bodies for their own benefit.
Can You Buy Land on the Moon?
When it comes to the moon and its resources, governments and corporations appear to have all the power. In 2016, the US government granted Moon Express (a private company) the permission to mine lunar resources. This was all done under the US national laws and didn’t require input from the international community. It is almost certain that other developed nations will toe the line. So, where does that leave us as individual humans?
When the UN laid out its ground rules for outer space exploration, it did not consider individual rights; instead, it chose to focus on nations as a whole. With the governments of the world and corporations having big stakes in lunar exploration and ownership, it appears that the role that humans as individuals play with regards to lunar matters and acquisition of extraterrestrial real-estate will remain insignificant.
A Light at the end of the Tunnel
All hope is not lost. A light at the end of this dark tunnel has appeared in the form of a new technology known as the blockchain. As an advanced database system, the blockchain is popular for many of its in-built features, including transparency, security, and immutability. However, it is the feature of decentralization that allows for exciting possibilities when it comes to the issue of moon ownership.
With blockchain technology, true decentralization of ownership is now possible, this means that humans as individuals can finally have a say when it comes to the moon. This isn’t mere speculation, a blockchain platform known as DIANA has brought this idea to reality. DIANA provides a system for all humans to own lunar real estate, bringing the power of ownership back to the individual. This is adhering to the tenets of the United Nations, which stipulates that the moon is humanity’s common heritage. Such a platform may seem weird and outlandish, but it will definitely receive recognition from the UN and will help usher humanity into the age of decentralized ownership as we journey to conquer the stars.
