Lunar Embassy says US cannot claim Moon ownership under 1967 Outer Space Treaty
Quick Look
Lunar Embassy stated that the United States cannot claim ownership of the Moon under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits sovereign nations from claiming celestial bodies, while noting the treaty does not bar private individuals from making such claims, a loophole its founder Dennis Hope exploited by claiming the Moon and other celestial bodies.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, ratified by nearly all countries including the United States, establishes that no government or sovereign entity may own or claim jurisdiction over celestial bodies in the solar system. Lunar Embassy, which sells property rights to extraterrestrial land, asserts that the treaty does not restrict private individuals from making such claims.
NEW YORK, September 13. /TASS/. The United States, like other countries, has no right to claim ownership of the Moon under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the press service of Lunar Embassy, an organization specializing in selling property rights to plots on extraterrestrial bodies, told TASS.
"The UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967 was ratified by nearly all the worlds' countries, including the United States, and which agreement states that no Governmental or Sovereign entity may own, have authority or any jurisdiction over any of the celestial bodies within our solar system," the organization said, adding, "So no, the United States or any other country by their own commitment and obligation, cannot take possession of, or own, the moon. They have all taken themselves out of that conversation by their own accord."
At the same time, the organization said the treaty does not prohibit private individuals from asserting claims, a loophole that Lunar Embassy founder Dennis Hope took advantage of. "This same treaty, makes no such statement or restriction to individuals, a glaring and likely intentional loophole within the document, and as such, the Lunar Embassy founder Dennis Hope, as individual, laid claim to the moon of earth, all other planets in our solar system, and their moons in entirety," the company said.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump called the Moon the property of the United States, posting a photograph of Earth's satellite on Truth Social with the caption "The Moon is ours" followed by a US flag.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Lunar Embassy or similar entities will continue to sell extraterrestrial property rights based on their interpretation of the Outer Space Treaty loophole.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Has any legal challenge been made to Dennis Hope's claims?
- What is the basis for Lunar Embassy's authority to sell extraterrestrial property?
- How do other nations view private claims to celestial bodies under the treaty?
