SpaceX and Blue Origin May Be Establishing Their Own Legislation on Mars

As private aerospace companies SpaceX and Blue Origin are getting ready for their first manned mission to Mars, the communities are starting to wonder as to the future legal status of the red planet. The first lunar base should be built by 2024, and it will serve as the transitioning point to Mars travel. The question now is how this planet and its upcoming colonies will be regulated in the future. 

SpaceX and Blue Origin on Future Mars Colonization

Right now, it looks like SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, is trying to lay ground for the first Martian constitution. The entrepreneur mentioned that the Earth-based government could not regulate any services rendered on Mars because this is a free planet that does not fall under any existing jurisdiction. Elon Musk also claims that any disputes should be settled locally based on voting. This is highly reminiscent of direct democracy. However, it is still unclear how exactly the Martian community will operate. 

Currently, the latest 2020 Artemis Moon exploration mission is based on the 1957 Outer Space Treaty. According to this treaty, outer space should not be subject to any national appropriation. While this sounds fair and logical, it looks like the red planet is up for a land grab.

Currently, the analysts expect Elon Musk and Blue Origin to impose their own regulations on Mars. While technically both companies are under US jurisdiction, exerting control over Mars will be quite challenging for the terrestrial government. 

David Anderman, SpaceX’s General council, is positive that the future Mars colony is just around the corner. Elon Musk’s company will be able to send a thousand starships with a hundred people on board every two years. So, while they start with a hundred-people settlement, soon this colony will be home to millions. According to Anderson, this will happen in our lifetime. As a reminder, the first manned mission to Mars is planned for 2033. 

While SpaceX founder Elon Musk hints at the possibility of local regulations on Mars, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos refuses to discuss this subject. He claims that legislation is not the topic they were discussing in the company. 

Right now, it looks like Blue Origin is more interested in how the colony will look, ignoring the legislation issues – at least, for now. According to Bezos, the community will have farms and homes, and rivers — even cities eventually. Soon, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’s Blue Origin may turn their attention to legal aspects of those cities as well.