Nasa seeks out explorers to fly to the moon at own expense and mine dirt, all nationalities welcome

The effort is meant to set a legal precedent for mining on the lunar surface that would allow Nasa to one day collect ice, helium or other materials

Activities are currently governed by a 1967 UN treaty that bars extraterrestrial military bases or nuclear weapons, but does not address space mining

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Nasa astronaut Harrison Schmitt collects lunar rock samples in 1972. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:22am, 11 Sep 2020Updated: 9:48pm, 11 Sep 2020

Nasa wants to buy some moon rocks, and it’s seeking out companies to make space mining trips so that it can establish a legal framework for its galactic aspirations.

The agency is soliciting bids from explorers anywhere on Earth who are willing to finance their own trips to the moon and collect soil or rock samples without actually returning the material to earth. The effort is meant to set a legal precedent for mining on the lunar surface that would allow Nasa to one day collect ice, helium or other materials useful to colonies on the moon and, eventually, Mars.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration also wants to demonstrate the potential for “in situ resource utilisation”, or using locally sourced materials for future space missions, it said on Thursday. Nasa anticipates paying roughly between US$15,000 to US$25,000 per moon contract, agency Administrator Jim Bridenstine said, though final pricing will be determined by the competition.

Activities beyond the earthly plane are currently governed by the United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Signed by the United States, it bars extraterrestrial military bases or nuclear weapons and basically requires nations to explore in peace and clean up their own messes.

Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine pictured at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida in January. Photo: Reuters

In particular, the treaty stipulates that outer space is not subject to “national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means”. But it does not specifically address space mining.