Can You Really Buy Land On The Moon?

It won’t be wrong to say that space exploration has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few decades. We landed on the moon just 50 years back, and today we have the International Space Station continuously inhabited for the past 17 years; we have landed a rover on another planet and successfully sent a spacecraft out of our solar system. The Canadian-American business tycoon Elon Musk has made clear his vision for his company SpaceX of creating a self-sustaining human colony on Mars.

Space exploration has evolved to the extent that people are now investing their money in outer space. Yes, that’s right. If naming a star after a loved one wasn’t enough, people are also buying land on the moon.

(Image Courtesy: 21st Century Tech Blog)

Can You Buy Land on the Moon? Yes and No

Numerous companies are offering land on the moon, and not just a small plot; you can own acres on Earth's natural satellite. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which is accepted by almost all countries on Earth, established that “no nation by appropriation shall have sovereignty or control over any of the satellite bodies,” keeping governments from owning the moon. In 1980, Dennis Hope, an American entrepreneur and head of the Lunar Embassy found a loop hole in the agreement and made a claim on Moon.

While the treaty kept countries from claiming sovereignty over terrestrial bodies, it was silent on individuals to do so. Therefore, Dennis, who was running out of money owing to his recent divorce and looking to make a fortune through real estate, made a claim on the moon as well as several planets of our solar system, including Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Dennis apparently also owns one of Jupiter’s moons but didn’t sell land on these terrestrial bodies because he couldn’t find appropriate maps to carve out subdivisions.

(Image courtesy: The Hacker Street)

Hope has sold hundreds of acres of the moon to millions of people all around the globe. The list includes several celebrities as well, such as Barbara Walters, John Travolta, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. He also alleged that numerous former presidents like Ronald Regan, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush are also proud owners of moon land. Refusing to sell property near historical areas on the moon, Dennis apparently once turned down a USD 50 million offer for the entire northern region of the moon. Amusingly, no government has challenged him for the right of selling extraterrestrial land.

Websites Offering Land On The Moon

Take a look at some websites that offer you land on the moon.

#1. The Lunar Embassy

The Lunar Embassy claims to be the only company in the world to have legal rights to sell real estate on the moon. Not only the satellite, but it also offers land on Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Lo (one of Jupiter’s moons). For USD 24.99, you can own 1 acre of lunar property, which gets you a land deed, and an additional USD 14.99 will also bring you a lunar passport.

(Image Courtesy: Lunar Land)

#2. Lunar Land

You can also buy real estate on the Moon from Lunar Land, where costs are a little higher. The USD-29.99 basic package here makes you an owner of 1 acre of the moon, and you get a satellite map, a pledge outlining functions and structures of International Association Of Human Planetary Exploration, and your very own moon deed in a futuristic packing.

(Image Courtesy: Instruct)

#3. Lunar Registry

Lunar Registry offers up to 499 acres of moon per transaction with a cost of USD 30 for each one. You can also choose from the several regions like The Lunar Alps, Lake of Dreams, Sea of Tranquility and Bay of Rainbows, whichever suits you the best.

(Image Courtesy: The Lunar Registry)

Tell us what you think about the topic and if you would want to buy land on the moon through your comments below.

(Feature Image Courtesy: Wehaveconcerns)