The Moon Treaty: prospects for the future

1995 marks the 15th anniversary of the United States' debate over ratification of the 1979 Moon Treaty. 1 The 1994–1995 season also marks the 10th anniversary of the Moon Treaty's entry into force among the small number of countries that ratified it. 2 These two anniversaries are significant both in themselves and because they occur at a time of reexamination regarding the Moon Treaty. This article briefly reviews the history of the agreement, and its prospects over the next few years. It concludes with some suggestions for revisiting the troublesome question of property rights in celestial bodies.