In the tradition of Sci-fi media being close to exactly right about the future the Federal Aviation Administration has taken preliminary action to encourage commercial development of the moon. Initial responses included concern from the U.S. State Department over conflicts between prospective commercial space endeavors and current United Nations stipulations on moon activity.

The UN Outer Space Treaty, enacted in 1967, lays out guide lines for space operations. Essentially it states that countries are responsible for activities in space conducted by private organizations and are prohibited from national claims to heavenly bodies. The treaty also bans nuclear weapons in space and specifies that all space explorations should benefit all countries.

In a recent letter to Biglow Aerospace the FAA stated that they intend to extend licensing authority into the private sector so as to increase investments in space operations. The proposal suggests a system that would allow commercial space operations to function on a “non- interference basis.” This certainly presents issues worldwide as private space organizations gear up to pioneer the moon. An additional UN proposal in 1970 called to point the issues of lunar property and mineral rights but ultimately was disregarded and signed only by nine countries not including the U.S. The author of the FAA letter, George Nield, asserted that it is not a license to land on the moon. He claims it is merely part of a payload review for a potential future launch request.

Biglow is assumed to be working on an inflatable habitat that they will test on the International Space Station this year having already been commissioned by NASA to build an addition to the station. Other space agencies, including a prospective lunar transportation company called Moon Express, are preparing as well to blast off into the new world of lunar real estate. The president of Moon Express Bob Richards said his company does not see any issues with the Outer Space Treaty causing conflict with their plans. He also asserts that their plans include the right to bring back and own pieces of the moon.