It was always only a matter of time before private companies joined the space race. As NASA and other government entities have grappled with limited funding and shifting priorities, private enterprises have risen to fill the void, becoming intrepid explorers of beyond our atmosphere. Some pretty prominent voices have spoken up recently about conquering the cosmos: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Virgin’s Richard Branson, and perhaps most notably, Elon Musk and his SpaceX program, which have made rockets landing on Mars painted with corporate logos seem like an increasingly imminent reality.
This isn’t surprising. The private sector is notorious for stepping in wherever there is money to be made. With governments failing to secure the funding and political will for ambitious space missions, the potential for exploration, resource extraction, and even human colonization seems ripe for the taking. And in an era where technology is advancing rapidly, it’s no surprise that private companies are looking to claim their stake in what was once purely the domain of government entities.
The drive to conquer space has led to corporate behemoths pouring billions of dollars into interplanetary ventures while far more pressing concerns remain here on Earth. Billionaires armed with their own fleets of rockets are keen to explore Mars and beyond while ignoring humanity’s existential problems – climate change, poverty, global inequality and inequity. By prioritizing their own visions of cosmic conquest, they not only sidestep these challenges but also contribute to the deepening divides between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of humanity.
The Power of the Private Sector in Space
Given the stagnation of government space programs, the door is wide open for private entities to drive the next phase of space exploration. SpaceX has already revolutionized space travel with its “reusable” rockets, significantly lowering launch costs. Blue Origin, backed by Jeff Bezos, has demonstrated successful space tourism, and Virgin Galactic, spearheaded by Richard Branson, is also aiming for the stars with suborbital flights. The dream of commercial space travel is becoming increasingly tangible, with reports estimating that space tourism alone could be worth $3 billion by 2030. This vision of commercialized space holds great promise for those who stand to profit from it.
But this rapid advancement begs a fundamental question: how far are these companies willing to go, and more importantly, what are the ethical consequences of a privatized space frontier? As private corporations venture into space, there are growing concerns about their ability to govern themselves responsibly. With space remaining largely unregulated, these companies could easily prioritize profit over planetary preservation, leading to unchecked exploitation of space resources and potential military escalation.
The Absence of Regulation
To date, there are a few international agreements meant to regulate the activities of nations in space. The “Outer Space Treaty” (full name: The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies) was established in 1967 after the Russians launched Sputnik I, and states:
- The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried on for the benefit and in the interests of all mankind
- Outer space and celestial bodies are free for exploration and use by all States
- Outer space and celestial bodies are not subject to national appropriation
- No Weapons of Mass Destruction are permitted in outer space
- The Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes
- States shall be responsible for their national activities in outer space, whether carried on by governmental or non-governmental entities
- The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space shall require the authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State
- States shall retain jurisdiction and control over their space objects, and any personnel thereon
- States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects
- States shall avoid the harmful contamination of outer space
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has established other guidelines as well, concerning, among other things, the safe return of astronauts.
The “Moon Agreement” is perhaps most relevant here, meant to ensure that the moon and other celestial bodies are not used for anything but peaceful purposes. No setting up battle stations on the moon or any other planet in the solar system
There are significant gaps, however. The treaty’s provisions on non-governmental actors, for example, leave much to be desired. Private companies are not directly regulated under the treaty, and it’s up to individual governments to monitor their activities. This has created a situation where billionaires like Musk, Bezos, and Branson can essentially act without significant oversight, pursuing profit-driven goals with little regard for the long-term consequences.
As it stands, the existing international treaties do not address the increasingly commercial nature of space exploration. There’s no clear framework for the management of resources in space, nor is there any comprehensive plan to address space debris, an issue that is becoming more pressing as space traffic grows. The 128 million pieces of space debris currently orbiting Earth pose a real danger to both satellites and future human missions. Yet, as the space race intensifies, corporations are placing their own interests first.
Star Wars
While the Outer Space Treaty prohibits the use of weapons of mass destruction in space, it doesn’t address the potential for conflicts over space-based resources or the militarization of space in the form of conventional weapons. The idea of space becoming a battleground for corporate interests is not entirely out of the question, especially when tensions rise between the major space-faring nations.
A recent report from geo-strategic consulting firm WikiStrat highlights the potential for an “exoatmospheric war zone” in the coming decades, as the cost of space travel decreases and the level of international tension rises. In the report, the firm noted that if spaceflight becomes cheap enough and geopolitical conflicts worsen, the scramble for control of space-based resources could turn hostile, involving not only national governments but also private entities. While we’re not at the point where billionaires will be waging war in space over Martian real estate, the possibility is on the horizon – especially when you consider the immense power held by tech giants today.
These companies are increasingly able to influence global politics and economies, and with no meaningful regulation in space, the door is wide open for corporate entities to pursue their goals no matter the cost.
The Billionaire Space Race: An Exercise in Privilege
The billionaire space race is, at its core, an exercise in privilege. Musk, Bezos, Branson represent a tiny fraction of the global population that has the resources to stake their claims in space. Meanwhile, billions of people on Earth continue to face poverty, lack of access to clean water, and threats posed by climate change. These same billionaires are often praised for their “visionary” goals in space exploration, but they are also deeply complicit in the systems that perpetuate inequality and environmental degradation here on Earth.
Space exploration could be an inspiring endeavor if it were motivated by the betterment of humanity, with efforts to address climate change, share resources, and promote peace. Instead, we’re seeing the growth of private space programs that are primarily concerned with profit and personal glory. Space could be an avenue for international cooperation, as it was during the Apollo era, but instead, it risks becoming yet another new frontier for profit-driven conquest.
Billionaires and their space programs exemplify a stark contrast between their desire to conquer the cosmos and their unwillingness to address the pressing issues at home; touting their ventures as the future of humanity, but it’s hard not to see them as a reflection of a deeply unequal world, where the rich are free to explore space while as people struggle to survive on an increasingly unstable planet.
The vision of exploring and establishing society on other planets is described be a bold, long-term ambition. This is misguided. Humanity’s greatest challenge is not reaching Mars or building space stations, but addressing the urgent crises unfolding here on Earth. Climate change, wealth inequality, and human rights violations demand our immediate attention.
In the end, the billionaire space race is a distraction. It is a flashy, expensive exercise in vanity that diverts attention and resources from the things that truly matter. As long as these companies are prioritizing the exploration of Mars over the preservation of life on Earth, we should question their motives and demand that they invest in the future of humanity here, before their interplanetary dreams are realized. Wealth must be used to tackle the existential threats facing humanity, rather than fleeing to space in an effort to escape the hell they helped create.