Authored by Rainer Zitelmann via American Greatness,
When we talk about the future of mankind in space, we should learn from history.
Squatters played a crucial role in the settlement and economic development of the American West. Long before government institutions were firmly established, settlers moved onto unclaimed land, built homes, cultivated farms, and created entire communities without initially possessing formal legal title to the land they occupied.
In many cases, these settlers were the true pioneers of westward expansion. They established the foundations of economic life—farms, towns, trade networks, and local infrastructure—while the state often arrived only later. The expansion of the American frontier was driven less by central planning in Washington than by millions of individuals acting on their own initiative.
What made the squatters especially important was that they created facts before the law recognized them. They settled the land first and expected legalization afterward. Over time, American lawmakers accepted this reality and introduced legislation allowing settlers to obtain formal ownership of the land they had improved and cultivated.
The squatters embodied a distinctly American idea: that those who productively use land should have the right to own it. This belief stood in sharp contrast to the European tradition of aristocratic landownership and became deeply connected to the American ideal of the independent entrepreneur and pioneer.
Their activities transformed vast territories into economically productive regions. By cultivating land, building businesses, and creating communities, squatters helped turn the frontier into one of the most dynamic areas of economic growth in the nineteenth century.
Some economic historians view the squatters as an early example of how property rights emerge from below—through use, investment, and social recognition—before they are formally recognized by the state.
What we need in the future are space squatters. The crucial difference from the historical squatters of the American West is this: on other celestial bodies, there is currently no ownership at all. The land belongs to nobody. And unlike in the settlement of the American frontier, there is no indigenous population whose rights could be violated.
According to Article II of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, states are prohibited from appropriating celestial bodies or territory in outer space. Whether this prohibition also applies to private individuals and private companies remains controversial among space lawyers.
The treaty says nothing explicitly about whether private individuals are permitted or prohibited from owning celestial bodies or land on celestial bodies. At the time, nobody imagined that entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos might one day finance private space exploration with their own fortunes.
Some legal scholars, therefore, argue that national sovereignty ends where outer space begins. In their view, the treaty prohibits national appropriation of the Moon, Mars, or asteroids—but not private ownership. Their interpretation relies on a classic legal principle: expressio unius est exclusio alterius. If a treaty explicitly prohibits one category of actors—namely, states—then other actors not mentioned may remain unrestricted.
So who should have the right to acquire property in space? My answer in my book New Space Capitalism is straightforward: Those who have the financial means to get there, develop, and use the land. For instance, if SpaceX succeeds in reaching Mars and starts to build permanent settlements on the Red Planet, then the ownership of land should go to SpaceX first. Not of the entire planet, of course, but of a practicable area, for example, the size of Singapore. The surface area of Mars is 200,000 times that of Singapore, so SpaceX would initially only own 0.0005 percent of Mars. That would be enough to develop multiple settlements, but not so many that others would no longer have a chance.
SpaceX could fund its flight and development costs by listing the land on Mars in a real estate investment trust (REIT). The price would then be determined by the market. Most people would buy shares not to live there themselves, but in the hope of value appreciation. Future colonists could also receive preferential access to shares or land rights as an incentive to settle and remain on Mars for several years. In this way, private ownership would become a mechanism for attracting pioneers willing to take extraordinary risks.
We need private property in space. Without it, the conquest, settlement, and economic development of the Moon, Mars, and asteroids will remain impossible. More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle observed, “Property that is common to the greatest number receives the least attention.” The history of the twentieth century confirmed his insight. Every socialist experiment that abolished private property ultimately failed. Why should a system that repeatedly failed on Earth suddenly succeed on Mars?
No—what humanity needs are pioneers of space, space squatters, just as America once needed squatters to settle the frontier. The difference is that this time, no one will be displaced, because the celestial bodies belong to no one at all.
Rainer Zitelmann is the author of the book New Space Capitalism, which will be published by Skyhorse in early June.
Tyler Durden Tue, 05/26/2026 - 23:25The Trump administration is expected to deploy US public health officers to Kenya to staff a quarantine facility there amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a departure from procedure used during previous outbreaks of the virus, the WSJ reported.
According to the report, the facility - which is pending signoff from the Kenyan government - will primarily be used for Americans who are exposed to, or at high risk of testing positive for the virus in the region, as well as Americans who test positive.
While there are now no known Ebola cases in Kenya, the move comes as international and local health officials are racing to contain another deadly outbreak of a rare strain of Ebola in the Congo that is already the third largest in history just weeks after it likely began.
Health workers transport a patient suspected of having Ebola to the isolation center at a hospital in Democratic Republic of the CongoUnlike during previous Ebola outbreaks, which saw Americans exposed to the virus brought back to the U.S. for monitoring or treatment, the Trump administration has decided to route potentially exposed Americans to other countries.
Sure enough, members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed branch of the federal government under the Department of Health and Human Services, received notices to deploy to Kenya.
While so far mostly contained, the latest outbreak has seen an American doctor, who contracted Ebola while working in the Congo, flown to Germany last week. The US also diverted a Detroit-bound Air France flight to Canada last week over fears of a passenger’s possible Ebola exposure.
Sign welcoming new visitors at Newark International.While the CDC has said the risk of Ebola spreading to the American public remains low, the Trump administration has nonetheless cracked down on travel from countries affected by the outbreak. Last week, the U.S. said it was pausing visa issuance for any travelers, including lawful permanent residents, who have been in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda within 21 days of planned travel to the U.S.
As of Tuesday, there are at least 930 suspected Ebola cases, including 223 suspected deaths, in Congo, and seven cases with one death in Uganda, according to the World Health Organization. Health authorities further think the virus might have infected far more people across a broader region after spreading undetected for weeks.
Tyler Durden Tue, 05/26/2026 - 23:16