RIA Novosti has published a summary of an article from the Russian newspaper Novye Izvestia about concerns that NASA and Roskosmos reportedly have regarding the numerous private claims of ownership of the Moon, claiming that these “owners” would sue for “moral and material damage” if these agencies established bases on their property. According to the article Roskosmos officials are a bit flummoxed:
“Our legal experts have been checking the validity of owners’ claims but have not been able to come up with definite answers so far,” Igor Zatula, a Roskosmos spokesman, said. “A large number of international laws and agreements have to be worked through. In any case, only courts can confirm the legitimacy of ownership of the Moon and other planets.”
The article also claims that NASA would void any claims by citing a law dating back to colonial times that “if a person failed to cultivate his land or appear on it for more than 12 years, the plot was to be confiscated.” Regardless of whether such a law currently exists, it seems unlikely NASA would invoke it, since the agency and the US government in general have denied the validity of any claims to ownership of the Moon or other celestial bodies. Where’s a space law expert when you need one?
So if t/Space or some other alt.space company manages to land a rover on the moon, and sells control of it to the Lunar Embassy (within the next 12 years), the LE could use that rover to validate the land claims?
The article also claims that NASA would void any claims by citing a law dating back to colonial times that “if a person failed to cultivate his land or appear on it for more than 12 years, the plot was to be confiscated.”
Nope, no person on the land, no claim.
Send them a property tax bill for a share of the cost of lunar exploration.
—- The Institute for Space Law and Policy —-