Colonization of the Moon

The colonization of the Moon is a process or concept employed by some proposals for <a href="/facts/Robotic_spaceflight/zPrnATzo">robotic</a> or human <a href="/facts/Exploitation_of_natural_resources/YUmAXsEg">exploitation</a> and settlement endeavours on the <a href="/facts/Moon/zKHqEMPb">Moon</a>. Often used as a synonym for its more specific element of settling the Moon (the establishing and expanding of <a href="/facts/Lunar_habitation/PRvH0tGl">lunar habitation</a>), lunar or <a href="/facts/Space_colonization/3xUDzls1">space colonization</a> as a whole has become contested for perpetuating <a href="/facts/Colonialism/kvqx2DaV">colonialism</a> and <a href="/facts/Space_colonization/3xUDzls1">its exploitive logic in space</a>.
Laying claim to the Moon has been declared illegal through international <a href="/facts/Space_law/l4Cxunqm">space law</a> and no state has made such claims, despite having a range of probes and artificial remains on the Moon.
While a range of proposals for missions of lunar colonization, exploitation or permanent exploration have been raised, current projects for establishing permanent crewed presence on the Moon are not for colonizing the Moon, but rather focus on building <a href="/facts/Moonbase/PRvH0tGl">moonbases</a> for exploration and to a lesser extent for exploitation of <a href="/facts/Lunar_resources/4XFLDgW6">lunar resources</a>.
The commercialization of the Moon is a contentious issue for national and international lunar regulation and laws (such as the <a href="/facts/Moon_treaty/3mBkgv9L">Moon treaty</a>).

Colonization of the Moon open-in-new

Colonization of the Moon