Experts join forces to call for new global treaty to protect the Moon
Researchers at the University of Exeter say reckless space exploration is causing lasting damange
Last updated 14th Aug 2026
Researchers at the University of Exeter have launched a project calling for stronger international protection for the Moon, after a discarded SpaceX rocket crashed into its surface earlier this month.
No One's Moon brings together scientists, historians and artists to look at the environmental impact of lunar missions.
It was founded by Dr Suzanne Conway, a poet and writer in the university's Department of English and Creative Writing.
"No one's Moon has been founded with a mission to protect our moon from commercial exploitation that is likely to impact on the Earth's ecosystem," Dr Conway said.
"Our research teams are investigating how the current legislation, which might be described as 'symbolic', can be tightened to safeguard the moon.
"We want to raise awareness that so much space exploration is being done without the public's consent."
The SpaceX rocket crash
The project's launch follows a spent SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage crashing into the Moon near the Einstein crater earlier this month.
The stage, left over from a January 2025 launch that carried two commercial lunar landers, struck the surface on Wednesday 5th August at around 5,400 miles an hour.
In an interview with us, Dr Conway explained how impact released the force of roughly three tonnes of TNT.
"That's permanent damage," she said. "We're never going to know what was there."
Dr Conway said the Moon already carries a wide range of debris left behind by previous missions.
"If you think about all the space debris up there, there's 96 bags of human excrement, a golf club, golf balls. There's all sorts of space junk," she said.
Wider concerns
The Moon crash is not the only development causing concern.
"There's lots of reckless things happening that we're quite concerned about," Dr Conway explained.
"For example, the US Space Mirror, that's just been pushed through by the FCC, which is to cast light on the Earth in times of darkness.
"That's going to have massive ramifications for humankind, for our circadian rhythms, for our sleep patterns, for species on Earth that depend on darkness.
"I know they're claiming it could help emergency services and agriculture in different industries, but the cost to humanity and the Earth isn't being factored in."
She was referring to Eärendil-1, a sunlight-reflecting satellite built by California company Reflect Orbital, which was approved by the FCC on 9th July 2026 despite objections from astronomers.
Looking to the Antarctic Treaty
The team wants protections for the Moon modelled on the Antarctic Treaty.
Dr Conway said one of the problems is the way space exploration itself is talked about, which she believes can make it harder to question.
"We need to be really careful about the language that's being used," she said.
"Often space exploration is done in very positive language.
"It's the space race, it's human endeavour, it's frontiers, it's pioneering."
"We've got an Outer Space Treaty of 1967, and everything's meant to be done with care, with the good of all nations, and no sense of ownership at all," Dr Conway said.
"And it just seems to become merely symbolic."
She wants the Committee on Space Research, known as COSPAR, to support calls for greater protection.
"That's why we're looking at the Antarctic Treaty as an exemplar," Dr Conway said.
"We're really hoping that COSPAR will get behind this."
Polar scientist Professor Martin Siegert and physicist Dr Arwen Nicholson are also part of the research team.
"Missions to the Moon risk damaging its unique and fragile environment and come at a cost to the Earth," Dr Nicholson said.
"There is an urgent need for transparency and accountability from the increasingly commercialised space industry, especially as we grapple with the reality of the climate crisis."
Professor Nathan Mayne, who works alongside Dr Nicholson on exoplanet research in the university's Department of Physics and Astronomy, is also involved in the project.
Talks and workshops in Barnstaple
No One's Moon is being showcased at The Planetary Lab exhibition in Barnstaple throughout August.
Historian and indigenous art specialist Professor Jamie Hampson is giving talks throughout 15th August on the Moon's place in indigenous art and belief.
"Indigenous groups have been telling stories about the moon and other celestial bodies for tens of thousands of years," Professor Hampson said.
Dr Conway will return to the Planetary Lab on 29th August to run moon-inspired creative writing and art workshops.
"If we take away one thing, it's that we need to preserve and take good care of the Earth," Dr Conway said.
"The Moon is a massive factor in that."
The team also plans a series of podcasts, an anthology of writing, and a public event for September's International Observe the Moon Night.