British financial firm Money.co.uk has calculated that it would cost as little as $60 million to build a house on the moon with about 1,356 square feet of interior space.
The company’s financier, Salman Haqqi, detailed his calculations in a March 11 blog post, starting with the cost of buying land on the moon. Now it’s possible to buy land on the moon? It looks like it might be possible to do so.
Buying land
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) reads, “Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, cannot be declared sovereign by any State for any use, possession, or otherwise.”
A 2016 Universe Today article reported that the Moon Treaty of 1979 refined its legal outline based on the Space Treaty to close the loophole that allowed private parties to declare ownership of land in outer space.
However, it is said that this treaty has not been supported by the major entities of the United States, Russia, China and the European Union, so there is no clear answer whether private institutions or individuals can own land on the Moon. Of course, at a time when the world is facing important challenges such as the plague and economic recovery, the matter does not seem very urgent.
In any case, the International Lunar Land Authority (ILA) has launched the International Lunar Land Registry (ILLR) service – already ready to sell lunar land. As on Earth, the price of different “lots” on the Moon varies, ranging from $20 to $130 per acre.
Hatch believes that the large impact crater in the northern part of the moon, the Sea of Rains, is the perfect residential area. No wonder this area has the highest land price, $131.77 per acre.
It seems that the land cost of building a house on the moon is very small, but it is the high construction costs, and the support systems for sustainable living, such as water, electricity, food costs are very high.
Power generation equipment
Using solar power is the most economical design. To lay a 34-panel solar power system on the moon, it would take about $23,000. Whether this is enough is hard to say. Because a day on the moon – that is, a complete cycle of day and night – is 28 days on Earth, that is, the moon’s nights are up to 14 days long, during which temperatures can drop to minus 173 degrees Celsius, requiring a lot of energy to maintain a temperature suitable for human habitation.
Hatch has also examined the option of using nuclear energy, which may be better for power generation on the moon, but the expense would now require more than a billion dollars. Ricard Dinan, general manager of nuclear energy company Pulsar Fusion, told him that the prospect of using nuclear energy on the moon is still good, and that there are ample resources of helium 3 on the moon, and that if it is used to generate electricity in the future, the cost will be significantly reduced.
Building materials, labor and other miscellaneous costs
From the expense of commissioning SpaceX to deliver building materials, tools and workers to the moon, to the new technology to be used to build a house on the moon, and the ecological recycling system needed for the house, are big expenses.
For example, the gravitational force on the moon is very small, and the entire house requires high-quality sealing technology for doors, windows and various passages. Windows naturally need to be open and transparent, can see outside the window space and the beauty of the Earth, but to withstand the meteorite attack, and resist a lot of radiation. This is much higher than the cost of building materials on Earth.
Hatch envisioned that the house on the moon must have its own greenhouse to grow food. According to the average family of four, it takes seven lunar greenhouses to produce one ton of food to sustain life. Water resources also need a perfect recycling system to filter the use, to minimize the need to resupply supplies from the Earth and reduce costs.
On Earth, the full cost of the final house buyer needs to pay is generally about 27 percent higher than the agent’s offer, and Hatch said there is such a fluctuating factor in building a house on the moon.
Hatch admits that building the first house on the moon is the most expensive because of the cost of building a lot of infrastructure. Once built, many facilities can be shared and subsequent houses built will be cheaper to build, which Hatch estimates at about $51 million.
Loan Guide
As a finance company, selling loans is their main business, and they have calculated that building a house on the moon would cost about $6 million down and $325,000 per month for the next 25 years.
Hatch depicts, “The northern sea of rain is the ideal place for a family to live. The Sea of Serenity is 30 minutes away by jet jump and is a great weekend getaway. In addition, Crater Plato next door is another great place for excursions, where kids can play in the lunar mud for hours.”
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