Key facts
- The researchers state that extensive lunar industrialization could produce irreversible harm to the lunar environment.
- The researchers state that extensive lunar industrialization could interfere with scientific research on the moon.
- The researchers state that extensive lunar industrialization could endanger the cultural significance of the moon.
- Rabitz says a pause is needed but not necessarily likely to be achieved.
Florian Rabitz of Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science and Xiao-Shan Yap of Utrecht University published Don’t Fly Me to the Moon: A Moratorium on Lunar Industrialization in Global Environmental Politics in 2026. The article carries the DOI 10.1162/glep.a.799. The researchers call for a temporary pause on lunar industrial development. Phys.org reported on the article on Nov. 13, 2026.
The researchers state that extensive lunar industrialization could produce irreversible harm to the lunar environment. They also say it could interfere with scientific research on the moon. They further say it could endanger the moon’s cultural significance.
The article proposes a temporary pause on lunar industrial development to create time for establishing international regulations and fostering wider public debate on whether and how these activities should move forward. “Frankly, I think that it is something that is needed, but not necessarily something that we are very likely to get,” says Rabitz.
Rabitz states that the public remains largely unaware of the extent of lunar development by the United States and China and by private space companies. The researchers warn that unequal access to lunar resources could result because countries and corporations establishing infrastructure first may gain major advantages and control entry to specific lunar zones.
The researcher states that the party conducting major lunar infrastructure work, whether American or Chinese, will assert its position by defining exclusive territories, and that this should not resemble the Wild West. International space law prohibits any country from claiming sovereignty over the moon.
Without stronger international governance, lunar development will likely remain the domain of a small number of powerful actors, Rabitz cautions. Rabitz says restricting the goals of leading space powers and space corporations may be difficult.
Broader participation by citizens, civil society, scientists and governments could influence the direction and speed of lunar industrialization, Rabitz believes. The article stresses that a more inclusive international conversation should occur before large-scale lunar industrial activity starts. It says lunar decisions should weigh environmental protection and the interests of humanity. Major powers and private companies are advancing plans to build lunar infrastructure and extract lunar resources at full speed.
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