Forward markets for lunar berths

Private firms are now offering prepaid reservation deposits for stays on the lunar surface, turning future planetary habitation into tradeable, forward‑market commitments and consumer financial products rather than solely experimental engineering projects. That practice creates immediate consumer‑protection, securities, export‑control and space‑property questions even before any habitat is built. — If forward‑sold lunar berths scale, governments must set rules now on liability, disclosure, escrow, and how private commercialization interacts with the Outer Space Treaty and local permitting.