SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will hit the Moon on March 4. This could lead to a commotion where SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could be sued for this collision.
After astronomers discovered that the second stage of a SpaceX rocket would hit the Moon, many questions arose about the legality of dumping space debris on the Moon's surface.
Some legal experts argue that the fall of a SpaceX rocket on the Moon could be a reason to sue Musk and SpaceX. But the possibility of a lawsuit like this will not come true.
"In theory, yes. In practice, probably not," attorney Steven Kaufman told Forbes, as quoted from Futurism, Sunday (6/2/2022).
Of course the biggest reason why Musk and SpaceX won't be sued is because no country or entity owns the Moon. However, if for example a SpaceX rocket crashed into a spacecraft on the Moon, such as China's Yutu-2 rover, the rover's owner could sue Musk and his company.
According to the 1996 Outer Space Treaty and the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Causes by Space Objects, countries can file lawsuits if their spacecraft is damaged by another country.
Even so, something like this had never happened before. "There's not a lot of precedent going on before," attorney Scot Anderson told Forbes.
Interestingly, there has been one lawsuit filed since the two agreements were ratified. In 1978, a Soviet Union satellite disintegrated over the Canadian skies and scattered radioactive material in the atmosphere.
The Canadian government then asked the Soviet Union to pay compensation of USD 6 million. But in the end the amount paid was USD 3 million.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will fall on the far side of the Moon on March 4, 2022, after floundering in space for seven years. The second stage, weighing four tons, will hit the Moon at a speed of 2.58 km/s.