How to Govern the Moon - #SFTechWeek

Wednesday, Oct 7

7:00pm

Hosted by

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Black tie

We are returning to the Moon- this time to stay. For the first time in human history, we are about to find out what happens when nations, companies, and rival superpowers try to build permanent settlements on a celestial body other than earth- ground that no one owns and no one governs. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty says plainly that no nation can claim the Moon but it never imagined mining companies, permanent bases, or two competing blocs racing to the same resource-rich lunar south pole. The old framework is about to meet reality, and the gaps are enormous. Our panel of experts will take on the questions that treaties left unanswered: **Resources.** Nobody can own the Moon- but can you own what you dig out of it? The Artemis Accords assert a right to extract space resources without it counting as "national appropriation," and establish "safety zones" around operations that effectively create exclusive areas. Russia and China call this a unilateral rewriting of the 1967 treaty. Who's right? **The race.** As of mid-2026, 70 nations have signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords. China and Russia have refused, building a rival coalition around their International Lunar Research Station and recruiting partners with loans and technology transfers. The result is two competing blocs and a dynamic many compare to a new space race. **The conflict.** What happens when an Artemis "safety zone" overlaps with an ILRS operation? When two nations want the same crater of water ice? We'll explore the flashpoints- legal, diplomatic, and, potentially, physical- and ask whether humanity can govern a second world better than it has governed this one. Expect real disagreement among people who understand the law, the technology, and the stakes. This is not a lecture. It's an argument worth dressing up for. This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.

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