Did it ever occur to you, dear reader, that there will come a day when you will buy a plot of land in space?

I expect the answer to be something like, "Actually, I am currently thinking of owning fixed assets on planet Earth, and then space will be my next goal."

Today, debates rage between the US Space Agency (NASA), the Chinese National Space Administration, and the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, over plans to colonize the moon.

NASA and exploratory bases on the moon

The US Space Agency (NASA) stated on its official website that the "Artemis" program aims to send the first woman and the first colored person to the surface of the moon, using innovative technologies, to explore more about its surface than ever before.

The agency stated that it will cooperate with commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term presence on the surface of the moon, and then it will harness the lessons learned from its experience in exploring the moon to send the first astronauts to Mars.

And she stressed that her return to the moon aims to achieve more scientific discoveries, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers, namely the "Artemis generation", and that she will maintain the American leadership in exploration, in addition to building a global alliance that explores deep space for the benefit of all.

And "NASA" stated that it intends to build a base camp for Artemis on the surface and the gateway in orbit around the moon, in order to secure the appropriate environment for robots and astronauts, to discover more and conduct more science than ever before.

The China National Space Administration announced last September that the missions of the "Chang-e" program are progressing well (CNSA)

China's Chang'e programme

On the other hand, according to a report published on Space.com on September 13, the Chinese government has officially approved 3 robotic missions to the moon that will lay the foundation for a permanent lunar base.

The report stated that the China National Space Administration "CNSA" announced on September 10 that the tasks of the "Chang'e" program are progressing well, in conjunction with the completion of the next spacecraft, "Chang'e-6". (Chang'e 6).

China has made a number of leaps in lunar exploration since it launched its robotic program for the moon in 2004. In successive missions, it successfully launched a pair of orbiters as a first step, followed by a lander and a rover, and succeeded in making the only lunar landing on the far side so far. .

The superpowers aim to build bases on the moon (NASA)

Can countries or companies own property on the moon?

According to a report published on the "Deutsche Welle" website, the head of the Department of Public International Law at the European Space Agency, Alexander Sochik, believes that companies or countries cannot own the moon.

"Any country can fly a flag on the moon, but this has no legal meaning or consequence, and this is mentioned in the Outer Space Treaty, which stipulates that no country can claim sovereignty over the moon or make it its own land," he said.

He explained that this law extends to private companies such as SpaceX, which was established by Elon Musk, and said, "We are talking about international law here. Countries are obligated to apply the law to their citizens and private companies in their lands."

And what about individuals, can they own small parts of the moon?

The head of the International Institute of Space Law, Kai Uwe Schroegel, explained that the Outer Space Treaty clearly states that no one can possess materials taken from the moon either.

"There are no loopholes, there are only willful misinterpretations of the Outer Space Treaty. Countries responsible for private actors should just say: No, you cannot own these resources, and if you do, you are violating international law," he added.

Observers often see space exploration as a beacon of hope for world peace, as treaties solidify cooperation and turn it into binding agreements, and so Russian cosmonauts work side by side with Western astronauts on the International Space Station despite tensions over war on Earth. Ukraine.

International space agencies are working to collect information about the moon for use in landing missions on Mars (NASA)

How long is cooperation in space?

Although the treaties have helped create a basic international consensus, some controversies over space exploration seem inevitable.

Earlier this year, the head of the US space agency, Bill Nelson, said in an interview that China could one day land on the moon and declare the satellite as its land.

In turn, Beijing strongly rejected these allegations, and reaffirmed its commitment to peace and disarmament in space.