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Elon Musk will run into trouble setting up a Martian government, lawyers say:
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is steadfast in realizing his dreams of establishing a permanent colony on Mars, but any new government there will face immense legal challenges.
We got an early glimpse of what such a future society could look like, buried deep inside the user agreement for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service.
“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 terms of service read. “Accordingly, disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of Martian settlement.”
[...] Lawyers, however, have their doubts about SpaceX’s abilities to set up a Martian state. In fact, several told The Independent in a new story, what SpaceX has laid out in its Starlink user agreement isn’t radically different from space treaties that have been signed over the years.
[...] For instance, the 2020 Artemis accords stipulate that “outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”
[...] “[Musk] could be trying to lay some groundwork for offering up an independent constitution… just like he did for electric cars and reusable launch vehicles,” [Randy Segal, of the law firm Hogan Lovells] told The Independent. “Does it have any precedent or enforceability? The answer I’d say is clearly no; but if you say something enough, people might come around.”
(Score: 3, Insightful) by istartedi on Wednesday December 30 2020, @08:19PM
If they can't bring guns to Mars, Mars is sovereign.
We're getting way ahead of things though. We haven't even set foot on it, and even if we do it may prove to be a consumer of human flesh. It may not be possible to even sustain a population, but if we solve the problem of radiation shielding, if the low gravity doesn't impede human reproduction, and if Mars can find a way to sustain itself then it'll be sovereign. So let's say all those problems are solved and it declares independence.
Don't like that? Come to Mars with guns and change their minds. Until then, "lawyers doubt" and it's impotence.
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