Selling ice to an Eskimo was considered the benchmark of great salesmanship, but a former car salesman raised the bar even higher by selling lunar land to Earthlings. Dennis Hope, an American from Rio Vista, California, conceived the idea of capitalizing on unclaimed celestial property (namely, the moon) during a challenging phase in his life. The former ventriloquist, out of work, going through a divorce, and struggling to make ends meet, found himself at rock bottom. The only way left was up; Hope took that literally and set his sights and ambitions on the moon.
The first phase in any enterprise is research, and for Hope, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty was instrumental in advancing to phase two. This treaty, signed by dozens of nations including the United States, outlines legal guidelines for dealing with celestial bodies. It explicitly states that no nation can assert sovereignty over the moon. Hope, however, was just a man full of hope. He wasted no time in sending a note to the United Nations, claiming the Earth’s natural satellite, along with most other planets in the solar system and their moons.
“I couldn’t help but think about all the unclaimed property up there,” he shared. “After looking up the treaty, I found Article Two, which states, ‘no nation by appropriation shall have sovereignty or control over any satellite bodies.’ I realized that many countries accepted that land could be claimed, so I just applied what I learned. Some people argue that just because the UN never responded, it doesn’t mean I own it. However, I did my due diligence; they should have done theirs.” Let’s explore how he transformed this lunar business into a profitable venture.
The moon is a lot cheaper than Earth!
Since 1995, Hope’s celestial property business, Lunar Embassy, has amassed over $11 million by selling acres on the moon. The rule is simple: a minimum purchase of 1 acre, priced at just $24.99. His collection of interstellar properties also includes Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. With over six million customers, Hope does not regret exploring this idea during a cross-country drive in the late 1970s. “We’ve sold 611 million acres of land on the moon, 325 million acres on Mars, and a combined 125 million acres on Venus, Io, and Mercury,” Hope stated. Interestingly, he is also selling Pluto, but not in tiny land parcels. Instead, he is offering the entire dwarf planet for $250,000.
Hollywood A-listers, Presidents, and even commoners own a piece of the moon-
Surprisingly, everyone wants a piece of the moon. Whether driven by romance, poetry, or the desire for a grand gesture of love, acquiring a slice of the moon has become a majestic declaration. According to the Lunar Embassy, over 6,011,311 people own extraterrestrial property. This diverse group includes actors like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Clint Eastwood, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and Presidents Reagan, Carter, and Bush Junior. Not only individuals but also companies such as Hilton and Marriott have invested. With the space race accelerating rapidly and people even getting married in the stratosphere, it’s only a matter of time before the moon serves purposes beyond being a natural satellite.
