The unintended crash of an abandoned SpaceX rocket booster on the Moon offers new insights for planetary science. This event could help scientists understand the impact of high-speed collisions on the lunar surface. Traditionally, human-made objects have reached the Moon since the late 1950s. However, this recent impact raises questions about how we interact with extraterrestrial environments.
The terminology used in space exploration often mirrors the logic behind the dispossession of Indigenous lands on Earth, known as settler colonialism. A key aspect of this is terra nullius—a concept defining land as unclaimed and open for taking. Likewise, the Moon is often seen as an unclaimed ‘final frontier’. Both state and corporate entities treat it as a wilderness to leave engagement remnants, such as flags or rocket boosters.
Space exploration is increasingly moving from state agencies to private enterprises led by individuals like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. These companies often operate without the regulations that state actors face and treat space as an experimental zone where rules are flexible. The absence of life on the Moon doesn’t exempt us from ethical responsibilities.
From the perspective of an Ojibwe scholar specializing in environmental governance, the Moon is not just a barren rock but a relational presence. This view is shared by many Indigenous communities, who oppose unethical actions in space, like lunar burials and using the Moon as a dumping site for hazardous waste.
Indigenous resistance is often mislabeled as ‘anti-science’; however, partnerships, like those between NASA and the Navajo Nation, show that scientific inquiry and relational ethics align well. The issue isn’t space exploration itself but the need for stewardship. Natural meteorites impact the Moon daily without adding space debris, unlike abandoned rocket parts from Earth.
In an era of environmental crises, our space endeavors need reevaluation. Transferring our environmental issues to the Moon doesn’t advance scientific knowledge. It spreads environmental damage. Space exploration requires international accountability and ethical management. We must not let corporate elites dictate cosmic governance. Genuine progress needs the inclusion of diverse voices, including Indigenous communities and the Global South, to maintain space as a shared resource for all.
Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles, an incoming Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at Bemidji State University, belongs to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Their work explores Indigenous viewpoints on human-environment interactions, political ecology, and community-engaged scholarship. Smiles has written extensively on colonialism and space, contributing to both an essay in Society+Space in 2020 and a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Outer Space Studies. These opinions are their own.
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