The space industry will be quite busy this year, especially as space missions by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and private space company SpaceX going to the moon and the Red Planet are set to happen this 2021.
With that, legal experts are arguing that space laws require revisions soon, and it seems like discussions have already started regarding how these space explorers will be governed.
SpaceX Creating Groundwork for Martian Law?
According to Daily Express, SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, are reportedly planning everything for the future of space exploration, specifically their ambitious plan to colonize Mars and bring people to the Red Planet.
Based on the report, it seems like Musk and his company have already laid the groundwork for alien laws on Mars.
"For services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonization spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities," the governing law section of the SpaceX Starlink user agreement reads.
Furthermore, the section reads that any and all disputes will be settled under "self-governing principles" that will be established "in good faith" once people have successfully landed on Mars.
Do Experts Agree?
So, what do experts think about Musk's idea?
A partner at the international law firm Hogan Lovells, Randy Segal, actually says that it's "not a bad idea" that Mars will have its own set of rules compared to every country that sends men to the planet will assert jurisdiction over the Red Planet.
"If you're going to have people from Earth on Mars, there should be some rules for Mars and why shouldn't there be one set of rules?" Segal said. "Well, what do you call it? A Martian constitution, you call it whatever you want.
Nevertheless, the legal expert did say that it makes sense that there should be one set of rules that will govern anyone who attempts to colonize Mars--or any planet.
Another expert, Donald Rothwell, an international law professor at the University of Sydney broadly agrees with the sentiments and even further said that revising the 1967 NASA-sponsored Artemis accord should be happening soon.
Revising Existing Space Laws
Private space agencies like SpaceX and Blue Origin continue to operate within the boundaries of the US laws that are consistent with international space laws.
However, as space agencies and space explorations begin pushing beyond the boundaries of what we initially expect as possible, we must reconsider the laws that will apply to places like the Moon and Mars.
For years, it has been Elon Musk's great plan to colonize Mars and bring it to life, and as he surpassed Jeff Bezos as the richest man in the world, he reaffirmed his intentions to build a city on Mars, as per The Independent, saying in a Twitter post that half of his money is intended to help fix existing problems here on Earth, while the other half is intended to creating his dream Martian city in case "we destroy ourselves."
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Written by: Nhx Tingson
