Elon Musk has been planning to take humans to Mars for years, but it’s only now that he’s hinted at what he wants to do once he’s there.
Elon Musk has hinted that the planet of Mars will be a part of America. “I will die in America,” he said at an event. “I’m not going anywhere. I might go to Mars, but that will be part of America,” he added.
Musk might have been joking — he was smiling when he said the last line — but planets thus far don’t belong to any particular country. As per the Outer Space Treaty, of which the US is a signatory, there is no claim for sovereignty in space — no nation can “own” space, the Moon or any other body. Space activities are for the benefit of all nations, and any country is free to explore orbit and beyond. Additionally, weapons of mass destruction are forbidden in orbit and beyond, and the Moon, the planets, and other celestial bodies can only be used for peaceful purposes.
It would’ve been easy to dismiss Musk’s words about Mars being a part of America until a few years ago when he was just an entrepreneur, but since helping Donald Trump win the White House in 2024, he’s become a quasi governmental personality. He oversees the DOGE initiative, and has an office in the White House. Musk is believed to be the closet confidant of US President Donald Trump, and could well be in a position to influence government policy.
And Donald Trump has been looking to expand America’s territorial boundaries since becoming President for the second time. Trump has been lobbying for Canada to become the US’s 51st state. He’s also currently engaged in looking to break away Greenland from Denmark and have it join the United States through a referendum. As such, a play towards turning Mars into a part of America doesn’t seem outlandish. SpaceX could send humans to Mars in the next few years — the latest estimates are 2029 — and eventually set up a space colony. And Musk seems to have indicated that this colony could be a part of America when it does become a reality.