Outer space and celestial bodies are regarded as humanity's shared heritage; hence they must be preserved. The Moon, which lies 100 kilometres above the Earth, is included in outer space. Uncontrolled activities on the Moon potentially pollute outer space and cause environmental hazards. Furthermore, there is a chance that any structures or equipment taken to the Moon will disintegrate and orbit the planet as space debris or perhaps fall back on Earth and destroy it. This study intends to provide a legal analysis of the 1979 Moon Treaty, which governs the activities of states on the Moon and other celestial bodies. This study undertakes a doctrinal approach in examining the legal issues involved, the applicability and the effectiveness of the Treaty in protecting the Moon and the outer space. This study concludes that the Treaty should be extended to cover extraterrestrial materials from the Moon that reach the Earth. The fact that the Treaty has yet to be ratified or acceded to by a large number of countries is a further cause for concern.
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In-Text Citation: (Nizamuddin et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Nizamuddin, T. I. M. T. M., Dian, A. M., Ahmad, J., & Ikhsan, M. I. (2022). Protection of The Common Heritage of Mankind - The Moon. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(8), 257– 262.
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