Can any country take over the moon?

Over the years by studying the moonengaged only in the USSR and the USA. Today the situation has changed - instead of Soviet scientists, Chinese astronomers are busy studying the earth's satellite. Recently, the China Space Administration (CNSA) completed an event during which the creation of lunar satellite communications was announced. It is believed that communication technology will come in handy in the future, during the construction of a scientific station at the South Pole of the Moon. This sudden activity of Chinese scientists around the natural satellite of the Earth made some people worried. For example, recently the director of the NASA aerospace agency, Bill Nelson, asked the question: what if China seizes the moon and prohibits other countries from conducting scientific work on it?

Some people are worried that China might take over the moon. Is it possible?

During an interview with the German publication Bild, BillNelson expressed concern about Chinese activity on the moon. According to him, at some point, Chinese astronauts can land on a satellite and announce that now it belongs only to them and no one has the right to study it. In response to this, China declared that such an outcome of events could not be.

Content

• 1 Can countries take over the moon?
  • 1.1 The moon cannot be captured - this is a violation of the agreement
  • 1.2 Tracking the moon is very difficult
  • 1.3 Capturing the moon is expensive

Can nations take over the moon?

The question raised is really interesting - acan any country go to the moon and claim that it now belongs to them? Associate professors Svetla Ben-Itzhak and Lincoln Hines have long studied China's space security and space program. They believe that neither China nor any other country in the world will be able to capture the Moon in the near future. There are several reasons for this.

In the modern world, capturing the moon is impossible, and there are many reasons for this.

The moon cannot be captured - this is a violation of the agreement

In 1967, representatives of 134 countries, including China, signed the international document "Space Treaty". It explicitly states that:

Outer space, including the Moon and otherscelestial bodies shall not be subject to national appropriation, either by claiming sovereignty over them, or by use or occupation, or by any other means.

This means that none of the signatoriescountries cannot take possession of the moon and call it an extension of their territory. At the same time, any country can freely send research vehicles or even people to the moon. Of course, with a strong desire, China can violate the agreement, but this will cause a wave of negativity from all other countries.

Signing of the "Treaty on Outer Space"

Tracking the moon is very difficult

The area of ​​the moon is about 38 millionsquare kilometers, five times the size of Australia. It is extremely difficult to control such a large territory, especially without having direct access to it. Of course, only strategically important areas such as craters with a high concentration of water ice can be taken under their control by any country. It is much easier and makes sense - the ice can be melted, and the water can be used to quench the thirst of the arriving people. In addition, water ice can become a source of oxygen and an integral part of rocket fuel. In general, the frozen water on the Moon really has a great price and the fight for it makes sense. However, it is unlikely that any country has the money to pull it off without the rest noticing.

Frozen water may be hiding in lunar craters

Why should there be more craters on the moon than there are now? The answer is here.

Capturing the moon is expensive

It follows from the previous paragraph thatcapturing the moon costs a lot of money. In 2021, China became the leader in the number of space launches - they were needed for the construction of the Tiangong station. China is also greatly increasing the space budget - according to Science Alert, it accounts for half of NASA's total budget. But, even in this case, Chinese scientists are unlikely to have the money to carry out such a serious event. In addition, at the moment there is not much point in capturing. Theoretically, taking control of the moon can help in the rapid exploration of space as a whole, but no one can talk about this with certainty.

At the moment, capturing the moon is a pointless undertaking

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Ultimately, it turns out that at the momentno country can begin to take over the moon - it is risky, difficult, expensive and pointless. In addition, besides this, countries have more serious things to do, both on Earth and on other space objects. For example, China recently announced its intention to get Martian soil before the United States. You can read more about this in this article.