Twenty Years of the Moon Agreement: Space Law Challenges for Returning to the Moon

Abstract

There is a renewed global interest in the Moon explorations and, possibly, in the use of its natural resources for deep space missions. This recent attention towards the Moon calls for an appropriate legal regime that would be conducive to the Moon-related space activities, particularly those by private enterprises. Search for such a regime is a major challenge for the international community. This paper analyzes the relevant provisions of the 1979 Moon Agreement (which came into force in 1984) and establishes that this international treaty provides a good legal basis for starting exploration, (and eventually exploitation) of the natural resources of the Moon by all States and their public and private entities and thus should be ratified – adhered to by all States, as soon as possible.