Who owns what resources are on the moon? It sounds like a science fiction concept, but it is becoming a much more relevant debate.

As more nations and private companies gear up for lunar missions, a United Nations working group has taken a step toward building a legal foundation for how resources in space, especially on the Moon, can be used. In late April 2025, the UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space released a draft of principles aimed at managing space mining. The draft doesn’t create binding law, but it does mark a move toward setting shared expectations.

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The focus is on who can explore, extract, and use valuable materials like water ice and rare metals from the Moon and other celestial bodies. Space mining is something that seems to be coming down the pipeline and these resources are seen as key to future space bases, long-term missions, and possibly even fueling spacecraft.

No Laws for Moon Miners?

But legal questions are piling up. Michelle Hanlon, a space lawyer and co-founder of the nonprofit For All Moonkind, says the lack of clear rules creates tension. “The time has come to create a legal framework that protects what we leave behind and guides what we do going forward,” she said.

The main international space agreement, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, doesn’t ban resource use, but it also doesn’t clearly allow ownership. A treaty from the 1960s may not be fit for purpose in an age when harvesting minerals from space is a realistic prospect.

Countries can’t claim land in space, but companies and governments still need a way to protect their equipment, investments, and heritage sites on the Moon.

“There’s this idea that because you can’t claim territory, you can’t exclude others,” said Hanlon. “But the treaty also talks about installations and respecting each other’s interests, which creates grey areas.”

The draft UN principles don’t resolve this tension. They confirm everyone has free access to space, but they don’t address how to protect historical sites or how to avoid conflict over high-value areas, especially around the Moon’s south pole, where many future missions are headed.

As Hanlon puts it, “We are looking at the Moon not only as a resource hub, but as a record of our first steps beyond Earth. We have to protect that legacy.”