In 1967, the United Nations adopted the “Outer Space Treaty”, according to which no nation can claim sovereignty over outer space. It also stated that the Moon and other heavenly bodies are to be used only for peaceful purposes.
In 1979, the treaty was supplemented with “The Moon Agreement”, according to which the Moon and its natural resources belong to all of humankind. 2017 was the 50th anniversary of the “Outer Space Treaty”, and the 105 nations that originally ratified the treaty agreed to continue their commitment.
The Moon’s resources include the isotope helium-3, which the Indian Space Agency and others have investigated the possibility of extracting. Helium-3 may be able to play a role as safe fuel in fusion power plants of the future.
In spite of the treaties, individual people have claimed ownership of the Moon over the years – and some have even tried to sell parts of it. Dennis Hope of the US claims to have discovered a loophole in the UN treaty. Naming himself “President of the Galactic Government”, he has been selling plots on the Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the Jupiter moon Io via the Lunar Embassy company since 1980; he claims to have sold 2.5 million km2 so far.
