Elon Musk has just claimed Mars as his own personal planet. Building his own human colony on the Red Planet, independent of Earth and with it’s own set of laws.
Wait. Can Elon Musk legally claim Mars? What would a planet owned by Elon Musk look like? And, would Donald Trump allow Musk to claim a planet without involving him?
Believe it or not, we do have laws that dictate space and who owns it. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty states that no state can claim outer space, including the Moon, through any means. But Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, is a private company, not a state.
Does this mean Elon Musk is exempt from the law? Of course not.
SpaceX company might be private, but it’s still related to the United States of America. It’s an American company, making the country directly responsible for any actions that break international laws. If Elon Musk claims Mars, that action would be viewed as America trying to colonize the red planet. And there are several countries out there that would have something to say about that.
There are a couple things that can happen. One is open conflict, resulting in the long-dreaded World War 3. Another is the start of a new Cold War, except this time the goal is not the Moon. It would be in everyone’s best interest if America intervened to quash Musk’s extraterrestrial claims.
And if America doesn’t intervene or doesn’t succeed? What would Mars under Elon Musk’s leadership look like?
Elon Musk’s plan for the red planet is to have 1 million humans living there in about 20 years. People would live in domed habitats, with one large communal dome and many smaller ones surrounding it. For transportation, we’d all be driving Tesla’s steel-paneled cybertrucks. Mars would be independent from Earth and governed by the laws established on Mars by its human settlers. Or, by Elon himself!
Elon Musk would consider himself the leader of the planet due to his claim of ownership.
But hopefully, citizens of Earth wouldn’t tolerate this and would make efforts to “liberate” the planet. Witness the beginning of Earth’s first interstellar war. Now, space battles like the ones you see in Star Wars aren’t possible with our current technology.
Would nuclear weapons be used? Probably not; Mars is still a destination humanity wants to reach in the long run.
