How Do We Create The First Space Government and Make Laws Outside Earth?
As we approach the future of building cities on the moon and Mars, we will likely see the need to establish the first space government and create laws for humans living in these futuristic cities. Currently aboard the International Space Station, astronauts from various countries are conducting multiple missions.
Several countries have come together to build and operate the International Space Station since 1998 to date. The partnership between these countries to build the ISS shows that different governments will likely collaborate to build the first city on the moon and probably the first city on Mars.
Now, if several countries come together to build a thriving city on a space world, then who makes the laws? You are about to find out how we will create the first space government and probably make laws outside Earth in the future.
How Do We Create The First Space Government and Make Laws Outside Earth?
As of today, we don’t have any space government outside Earth. However, if our kind should create the first space government in a space world, we will probably need to evolve beyond the current international space treaties that prohibit any national sovereignty in space. Hence, there are several factors humans need to overcome to create the first space government, and they include the following.
Moving Beyond the Outer Space Treaty
The 1967 treaty bans countries from claiming ownership of any territory in space. Hence, nations hoping to create the first government in space need to think fast and find a way to move beyond the Outer Space Treaty.
The first space probably may likely be created by updating this 1967 treaty to meet the future needs of humans outside Earth. Elon Musk recently announced his plan to build the first city on the moon in our lifetime.
If this eventually happens, then we should expect to see some humans permanently relocate to this futuristic city. If Elon Musk and SpaceX solely build this city with little or no help from any government, they can probably find a way around the 1967 space treaty to create the first government outside Earth. This first space government will govern the city on the moon and probably have a leader and a governing council.
Establishing a Constitutional Framework
When a space government is created, probably in our lifetime, it will need a new functional constitution that will define the rights and responsibilities of its users. The space government that will function on the moon will likely have a different constitution from one that will be functional on Mars.
This may rely on environmental factors, gravity, and others. However, any space constitution should define how laws are created and address environmental, resources, management, and human rights.
Developing National Space Policies
When countries come together to build a space habitat, they should probably create national space policies that will help govern any entity in space. These national space policies will allow each country to handle a particular responsibility in operating the space habitat.
Building Sustainable Infrastructure
Before we consider creating a space government, we must have figured out how to build and maintain sustainable infrastructure outside Earth or on or above the surface of any world outside Earth. We have proven that we can actually make this happen by building and maintaining the International Space Station and operating it for decades now.
The Chinese Space Agency also proved its space capabilities by building the Tiangong Space Station and actively operating it for years now. But we need to build more than these space stations to establish a space government.
If Elon Musk finishes his first city on the moon and wants to create a government to run it, that city must be independent from Earth and have self-sustaining infrastructures to provide life support, power, and security to its occupants. Do you think we can probably create a space government in our lifetime?
