Outer Space Development: Capitalist or Collectivist ?

[lexico]

The "race" for developing outer space (esp. the moon) has resumed. Although without the overt ideological vengence of the 1960's-1980's, the contending member states have increase from two, US and Russia, to 6 which includes China, Europe, India, and Japan. Human Spaceflight

In regards to rights to any resources to be gained, apart from the scientific and/or technological knowledge gained from the exploration and experimentation, it would seem natural, essential that there should be limits to them sa. military use and civilian use (Outer Space Treaty, Moon Treaty).

The Outer Space Treaty

bars signatories from placing nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth, installing them on the moon or any other celestial body, or to otherwise station them in outer space. It exclusively limits the use of the moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military maneuvers, or establishing military bases, installations, fortifications. It explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon or a planet.

The Treaty was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on January 27, 1967. On April 25 the United States Senate gave unanimous consent to its ratification, and the Treaty entered into force on October 10, 1967.

Ownership of the moon (and other celestial bodies) is governed by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the 1979 Moon Agreement. U.N. legal experts state that the moon falls under the legal concept of res communis, which means everyone owns it (the concept is also applied to International Waters).

The Moon Treaty, or The Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies

better known as the Moon Treaty or Moon Agreement, was finalized in 1979 and entered into force for the ratifying parties in 1984. As a follow-on to the Outer Space Treaty, the Moon Treaty intended to establish a regime for the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies similar to the one established for the sea floor in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

It has been ratified by only Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, and Uruguay.

France, Guatemala, India, Peru, and Romania have signed but not ratified it. As it is unratified by any major spacefaring powers and unsigned by most of them, it is of little direct relevance to current space activities.

Although the US has signed and ratified the first, none of the space-faring nations have signed the second. What do you think ought to be the limits imposed, and what rights ought to be protected, and for how long ?
Wiki: The Moon

Legal status of the Moon

Though several flags of the United States have been symbolically planted on the moon, the U.S. government makes no claim to any part of the Moon's surface. The U.S. is party to the Outer Space Treaty, which places the Moon under the same jurisdiction as international waters (res communis). This treaty also restricts use of the Moon to peaceful purposes, explicitly banning weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear weapons) and military installations of any kind. A second treaty, the Moon Treaty, was proposed to restrict the exploitation of the Moon's resources by any single nation, but it has not been signed by any of the space-faring nations.

Several individuals have made claims to the Moon in whole or in part, though none of these claims are generally considered credible.

 

[Brooker]

Once they find something useful up there, I'm sure it'll be like the California gold rush and all the treaties in the world won't make any difference..

 

[Index]

Look how difficult it has been to get IAEA inspectors into the DPRK. Can you imagine how hard it would be to get them on to the moon?

 

[Tsuyoiko]

I own an acre of the moon, and an acre of Mars too, so anyone who tries to colonise either of them had better stay off my land!

 

[Void]

i hope your acre is not on the dark side of the moon

at least resourses of outer space can be safe for awhile, since their exploration and transportation takes too much time and money

 

[Maciamo]

Alright, from today I declare that the Moon (☾) belongs to JREF and its members. :genji:

You have the right to colonise any part of it, but must beforehand obtain a charter from your local administrator or moderator, and name the colonised land after another member of JREF with at least 4 green reputation dots.

It explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon or a planet.

JREF is not a government, so we are not bound by the treaty.