You can't own the Moon, but you can still buy it
In short: Despite international laws declaring space a global commons, private individuals have spent decades selling "Lunar deeds" and Martian plots. While these titles hold no legal weight in any court, they represent a fascinating intersection of human property obsession, sci-fi imagination, and the complex evolution of extraterrestrial law.
The legal framework for space is defined by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which establishes that outer space—including the Moon—is the "province of all mankind." Article II explicitly forbids any nation from claiming territorial sovereignty through use, occupation, or any other means. This principle was influenced by the 1966 "Magna Carta of Space," which framed space as res communis (common property) rather than terra nullius (nobody's land). A more restrictive Moon Treaty of 1979 went further to explicitly forbid private ownership, though it has seen significantly less ratification than the primary treaty.
Despite these bans, a cottage industry of "extraterrestrial real estate" exists. Since the 1890s, individuals have attempted to claim celestial bodies. Notable examples include Jenaro Gajardo Vera's 1953 claim and James T. Mangan, who registered the "Nation of Celestial Space" in Illinois in 1949. Today, entrepreneurs like Dennis Hope sell millions of one-acre plots on the Moon for roughly $20 each, often using a method as simple as closing their eyes and pointing at a map.
The nuance lies in the distinction between national sovereignty and private activity. While countries cannot own the Moon, Article VI of the 1967 treaty requires that all activities by non-governmental entities be authorized and supervised by their respective States. Furthermore, real estate in space faces practical hurdles beyond ownership: orbital debris threatens "orbital real estate" near Earth, while terrestrial microbes on decaying satellites risk contaminating other planets, potentially destroying our ability to search for indigenous life or confirm the panspermia hypothesis.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Extraterrestrial real estate
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