Crimes committed on the Moon or in orbit can be tried in the country

Canada has just extended its legal jurisdiction… to space. MPs approved a motion on Thursday to amend the Criminal Code and allow for the prosecution of crimes committed on the Moon or in orbit.

The bill, 443 pages long, deals mainly with the budget. “A Canadian crew member who is the author, outside Canada and during a space flight, of an act or omission which, if committed in Canada, would constitute an indictable offence, is deemed to have done so in Canada,” reads one of the amendments.

A Canadian soon in lunar orbit

The text was approved in the House of Commons by 181 votes against 144. It aims to authorize the prosecution of crimes that take place during space flight or on the surface of the Moon. Foreign astronauts may also be prosecuted in Canada if their acts threaten “the life or safety of a Canadian team member” or are committed on board a Canadian aircraft.

The adoption of the text comes as a Canadian astronaut must participate for the first time in May 2024 in a flight in lunar orbit, as part of the project to build the future lunar station Gateway, led by NASA. He will be part of the crew of Artemis II, the first manned lunar mission since 1972.