The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

Some seven years ago Chinese President Xi Jinping said that in ancient times, a Chinese princess was married to the Moon. He did not mention which Moon it was but his remark was construed akin to claiming the ownership of the Moon in line with China's ideological-cum-historical concept of 'Tianxia'(天下), according to which, everything under the heaven belongs to China.

China has unveiled a game-changing technology of converting lunar soil into usable fuel, potentially revolutionising future space exploration and sustaining human life on the Moon.

So far five countries have successfully soft-landed spacecraft on the Moon: the United States, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), China, India and Japan. India's 'Chandrayaan' programme comprises a series of lunar missions. Chandrayaan-1, launched in 2008, was India's first lunar probe and confirmed the presence of water on the Moon. Chandrayaan-2, launched in 2019, aimed to soft-land a rover on the Moon but experienced a crash during landing. Chandrayaan-3, launched in 2023, successfully landed a rover near the Moon's south pole, demonstrating India's capability for safe lunar surface operations.

On August 23, 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO's) Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander successfully touched down on the dark side of the Moon near the South Pole. Prime Minister Narendra Modi named the Vikram touchdown spot 'Shiv Shakti'. On September 18, 2024, the Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission was approved by the Union Cabinet, which is expected to be completed within 36 months. This mission will have five modules that will be carried to space on two different launches. The spacecraft will include five modules packed into two composites. The mission is designed to land on the lunar surface, collect samples, store them in a vacuum-sealed container, and return them to Earth. The mission will also see docking and undocking; two spacecraft aligning and coming together in orbit.

All activities on the Moon are governed by the Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Treaty.

According to news reports of July 21, 2025 China has unveiled a game-changing technology of converting lunar soil into usable fuel, potentially revolutionising future space exploration and sustaining human life on the Moon. The technology uses a photothermal strategy to extract water from lunar soil and transform CO₂ into usable resources including Oxygen. The breakthrough implies significant reduction in transporting essential supplies from Earth. Lu Wang from the Chinese University of Hong Kong emphasised the unexpected capabilities of this celestial resource, saying, "We never fully imagined the 'magic' that the lunar soil possessed."

All activities on the Moon are governed by the Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Treaty. According to the Outer Space Treaty, no country can claim sovereignty over the Moon. It also declares that every activity carried out around the Moon should be for peaceful purposes, and declares its resources as the common heritage of mankind. Every country is free to explore the Moon and no one can claim ownership over any of its surface, sub-surface or any particular region. But the Moon Treaty has not been ratified by any state engaged in human spaceflight since it was signed on December 18, 1979, and thus it has little to no relevance in international law. As of May 2024, 17 states are parties to the treaty, including India having signed it on January 18, 1982.

Currently, the US and China are locked in a race to the Moon.

Currently, the US and China are locked in a race to the Moon. America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is aiming to send humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis 3 mission in 2027. Before that, a crew is due to visit the Moon in 2026, which would only hover over the Moon and not land to understand the conditions better. According to news reports of August 6, 2025, NASA is aiming to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon in the year 2030 and has asked for an award of the contract for this project within the next six months. Concurrently, China and Russia have joined hands to launch a nuclear power station for the Moon by 2035. NASA wants to win this space race as it fears that whichever country gets there first could "declare a keep-out zone".

In an article published in Space News on July 20, 2025, Rick Tumlinson warns how China will own the Moon unless the US acts now. He writes that NASA, once the crown jewel of American excellence, is being gutted to fund more ICE agents. The agency that once sent humans to the Moon is now run by a former MTV reality show host. His recommendations to win the race to the space race include: reform NASA administration; end Artemis programme; allow SpaceX to go to Mars; create legislation for NASA to become an anchor tenant on multiple platforms.

The question is whether China can barricade part of the Moon? The simple answer is yes it can and it will.

Finally, the question is whether China can barricade part of the Moon? The simple answer is yes it can and it will. The Artemis Accords, established by NASA and the US Department of State in 2020, is a set principles, guidelines, and best practices for the civil exploration and use of outer space, particularly focused on the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies - promote a safe, transparent, and cooperative environment for space activities. As of July 24, 2025, 56 countries have signed it but these are non-binding. Most conspicuously, the Artemis Accords, which place multilateral arrangements between the United States and other world governments, carry a provision that could zone out other countries from a particular part of the Moon. The arbitrary economic terrorism unleashed on the world by America's Donald Trump's Administration reinforces the concept of Might is Right. If China is established on the Moon first, it will follow that principle happily.