Legal Status of Lunar Stations

Currently, lunar activities are entering a new phase---the planning and construction of lunar stations. However, the relevant international law on lunar station activities needs to be improved, among which the legal status of lunar stations is the primary issue to be considered. Reflections on the legal status of lunar stations arise from the peculiarity of lunar station activities: they are carried out on celestial bodies with the long-term objective of the sustainable development of human society, and they involve the use of a fixed area on the surface of a celestial body and create a de facto scope of activities. The construction of lunar stations in conformity with the Outer Space Treaty is categorized as free exploration and use of the Moon for the benefit of all mankind without exclusive and permanent use of the lunar surface, and lunar stations are open to other States on the basis of reciprocity. To this end, it is suggested that activities of International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) should be conducted in either a “non-exclusive” or “time-limited” manner to fulfill the corresponding obligations under international law, and that the premise of “reciprocity” and the scope of “visit” for the opening of the ILRS to other States should be clarified. In addition, the following aspects of lunar stations need to be taken as specific factors in determining their legal status, namely, the purpose of use and the scope of activities of a lunar station; the mobility of a lunar station; the service life of a lunar station; the notification, updating and sharing of the information about a lunar station.