For All Moonkind

For All Moonkind is a New York City-based nonprofit organization founded in 2017 dedicated to protecting human heritage sites in outer space — beginning with the six Apollo lunar landing sites (Apollo 11 through 17) and expanding to all locations where humanity has left artifacts of historic significance. Co-founded by aerospace attorneys Michelle Hanlon and Alissa Ryder, the organization identified a critical gap in international space law: the 1967 Outer Space Treaty explicitly prohibits national appropriation of the Moon or celestial bodies, but is silent on the protection of objects placed there, leaving Apollo hardware, the Lunar Laser Ranging retroreflectors, and other irreplaceable artifacts legally unprotected from disturbance by future missions or commercial operators. For All Moonkind advocates at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and through the US Congress for legal frameworks equivalent to UNESCO World Heritage designations for significant off-Earth sites. The organization also engages the commercial lunar sector — working with companies such as Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines whose landers must navigate near Apollo sites — to encourage responsible mission planning that avoids contamination or disturbance of these historically sensitive locations.