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Who Owns The Moon? (Outer Space Treaty Loophole)
Did you know that 13 years ago, Gregory Nimitz filed a claim to a platinum rich asteroid (433 Eros) and charged NASA in 2001 for parking a probe on his asteroid recently during the first ever probe mission to successfully land on an asteroid? However NASA is not paying this fine anytime soon and saying his claim has not merit.
How about the Moon? Can you lay claim to the moon, can anyone own it? One major catch… No sovereign country will likely recognize any other nation, individual, or corporation’s claim to outer space land or objects. The Outer Space Treaty states that outer space is the “common heritage of mankind.” Ie, it belongs to all of us.
Many believe that the Outer Space Treaty has slowed the progress of space exploration without the financial incentives of being able to prosper directly from outspace claims. Lunar real estate is a tricky situation, but still can lead to progress towards future space squatting. Just don’t expect to get protection from any sovereign nation if someone tries to kick you off your lunar ranch.
Potential Loophole: Under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, no one nation can claim sovereignty over a body in space. However, the treaty doesn’t explicitly prevent private companies from claiming territory. Unfortunately, if the U.S. government accepted such a claim, this claim could be taken as a declaration of sovereignty, which in turn circles back to violating the Outer Space Treaty. So still a slippery slope, but potential loophole none the less.
For More on this Fascinating Topic Watch Below:
WHO OWNS THE MOON? (OUTER SPACE TREATY LOOPHOLE)
