Who owns the moon?
- China recently landed a probe on the far side of the moon
- NASA is working to return humans to the moon with Artemis mission
- A 1967 treaty prohibits countries from declaring ownership of the moon
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(NewsNation) — After China landed a probe on the far side of the moon, NASA warned there is a new space race between America and China. One question is the use of the moon as various countries seek to find resources upon it.
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson with the Hayden Planetarium in New York said the moon is not just up for grabs by whatever country gets there first, nor are any other celestial bodies thanks to a 1967 Outer Space Treaty that states space exploration should be carried out for the benefit and interest of all countries and that the moon and other celestial bodies cannot be claimed by occupation or other means.
“It makes it very clear that a state cannot claim sovereignty over any part of any space object,” Tyson said. “But it doesn’t stop you from going and performing research.”
A later agreement, the Artemis Accord, which is actively being signed, goes further and says that countries have to share their research with others who have signed the deal.
“So if China pitches his tent, the rule will be even if we don’t have immediate access, we have to know everything they’re doing,” Tyson said.
Of course, treaties can be broken and China is not yet a signatory to the Artemis Accords.
“What worries me, if we’re capable of that level of peace in space, why haven’t we shown that?” Tyson said. “We don’t have good evidence that peace can be maintained, sustained and pursued, given how we actually behave on Earth.”
