What are the laws actually guiding issues like this? Who actually owns space bodies? Is outer space actually a no man’s land?
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There is the Outer Space Treaty saying no country can own the moon.
So the billionaire can, in theory, just get his own rocket built and hire people to fly up and bury his remains on the moon.
With private space flight being how it is, and with Elon sending his car into Martian orbit, the only limits are the size of your wallet, and the orbital mechanics required to get your payload (whether that be a coffin, or a stupid car) where it needs to go.
With private space flight being how it is, and with Elon sending his car into Martian orbit, the only limits are the size of your wallet, and the orbital mechanics required to get your payload (whether that be a coffin, or a stupid car) where it needs to go.
You can already get your ashes sent to space right now. Some companies plan to offer lunar ash delivery soon and there is no reason to doubt this to be possible. The costs are not that high to require being a billionaire, but it is also not exactly paid by selling your old car. Also, Eugene Shoemaker (among others known for the comet that hit Jupiter very hard in 1994) was buried on the Moon already in the last century, so there is a precedent.
You can already get your ashes sent to space right now. Some companies plan to offer lunar ash delivery soon and there is no reason to doubt this to be possible. The costs are not that high to require being a billionaire, but it is also not exactly paid by selling your old car. Also, Eugene Shoemaker (among others known for the comet that hit Jupiter very hard in 1994) was buried on the Moon already in the last century, so there is a precedent.
I am not a space lawyer.
Space activities are governed by the 1967 [Outer Space Treaty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty), signed by most spacefaring countries. The relevant provisions for our billionaire are:
* outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty
* the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes;
* States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities;
* States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and
* States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.
In short, no nation can own the moon, or any part of it. And since the property rights of individuals are upheld by their nations, nobody can own any part of the moon. (Or at least, your country won’t protect you from claim-jumpers if you try.)
Our billionaire’s spacecraft is under the jurisdiction of their country. If they’re American, they have to answer to the US for anything they do in space.
Our billionaire is liable for any damage caused by their activities, and may not contaminate the space environment. Their country is responsible for making sure they don’t.
But the law puts no restrictions on what activities can be carried out on the moon, so long as they’re “peaceful” and don’t cause “damage” or “contamination”.
So the key question is, does being buried on the moon damage or contaminate it? We probably don’t have to worry about biological contamination, since the Moon itself will kill off any bacteria, but someone could argue that it damages and contaminates the natural lunar landscape. Sure, but what about all the trash dumped by the Apollo astronauts? Expect a legal battle about what constitutes “contamination”, if someone tries.
But then there’s the bigger question, of whether the Outer Space Treaty will actually be enforced by nations, once it’s not just a theoretical discussion about the future, but a practical reality involving trillions of dollars of territory and mineral rights. I don’t think anyone has an answer to that.
I am not a space lawyer.
Space activities are governed by the 1967 [Outer Space Treaty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty), signed by most spacefaring countries. The relevant provisions for our billionaire are:
* outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty
* the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes;
* States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities;
* States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and
* States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.
In short, no nation can own the moon, or any part of it. And since the property rights of individuals are upheld by their nations, nobody can own any part of the moon. (Or at least, your country won’t protect you from claim-jumpers if you try.)
Our billionaire’s spacecraft is under the jurisdiction of their country. If they’re American, they have to answer to the US for anything they do in space.
Our billionaire is liable for any damage caused by their activities, and may not contaminate the space environment. Their country is responsible for making sure they don’t.
But the law puts no restrictions on what activities can be carried out on the moon, so long as they’re “peaceful” and don’t cause “damage” or “contamination”.
So the key question is, does being buried on the moon damage or contaminate it? We probably don’t have to worry about biological contamination, since the Moon itself will kill off any bacteria, but someone could argue that it damages and contaminates the natural lunar landscape. Sure, but what about all the trash dumped by the Apollo astronauts? Expect a legal battle about what constitutes “contamination”, if someone tries.
But then there’s the bigger question, of whether the Outer Space Treaty will actually be enforced by nations, once it’s not just a theoretical discussion about the future, but a practical reality involving trillions of dollars of territory and mineral rights. I don’t think anyone has an answer to that.
A billionaire may not have the resources to buy the rocket. He won’t be developing a new one, but he may be able to buy one that is capable to deliver his corpse into the moon.
There is really no such thing as international law. Countries do what they want. If one or more country don’t like what they’re doing then they can bring their military or economic sanctions against them to bend them to their will. International law operates under the most fundamental law–might makes right. If you give some country enough money they’ll let you launch your rocket from their territory–once again a billionaire might not have the resources.
When I say billionaire I mean someone worth about 1 billion. This is not quite worth what it used to. It may be enough, but you may need a few more billions to pay off governments to allow you to launch and purchase an existing rocket, and the personal required to launch your rocket. If you truly want to be buried and not just crash into the moon, you’ll probably need significantly more money, but it could be done.
I am not a space lawyer.
Space activities are governed by the 1967 [Outer Space Treaty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty), signed by most spacefaring countries. The relevant provisions for our billionaire are:
* outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty
* the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes;
* States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities;
* States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and
* States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.
In short, no nation can own the moon, or any part of it. And since the property rights of individuals are upheld by their nations, nobody can own any part of the moon. (Or at least, your country won’t protect you from claim-jumpers if you try.)
Our billionaire’s spacecraft is under the jurisdiction of their country. If they’re American, they have to answer to the US for anything they do in space.
Our billionaire is liable for any damage caused by their activities, and may not contaminate the space environment. Their country is responsible for making sure they don’t.
But the law puts no restrictions on what activities can be carried out on the moon, so long as they’re “peaceful” and don’t cause “damage” or “contamination”.
So the key question is, does being buried on the moon damage or contaminate it? We probably don’t have to worry about biological contamination, since the Moon itself will kill off any bacteria, but someone could argue that it damages and contaminates the natural lunar landscape. Sure, but what about all the trash dumped by the Apollo astronauts? Expect a legal battle about what constitutes “contamination”, if someone tries.
But then there’s the bigger question, of whether the Outer Space Treaty will actually be enforced by nations, once it’s not just a theoretical discussion about the future, but a practical reality involving trillions of dollars of territory and mineral rights. I don’t think anyone has an answer to that.
A billionaire may not have the resources to buy the rocket. He won’t be developing a new one, but he may be able to buy one that is capable to deliver his corpse into the moon.
There is really no such thing as international law. Countries do what they want. If one or more country don’t like what they’re doing then they can bring their military or economic sanctions against them to bend them to their will. International law operates under the most fundamental law–might makes right. If you give some country enough money they’ll let you launch your rocket from their territory–once again a billionaire might not have the resources.
When I say billionaire I mean someone worth about 1 billion. This is not quite worth what it used to. It may be enough, but you may need a few more billions to pay off governments to allow you to launch and purchase an existing rocket, and the personal required to launch your rocket. If you truly want to be buried and not just crash into the moon, you’ll probably need significantly more money, but it could be done.
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