EXPLAINER - Elon Musk’s project Mars: the quest for a multi-planetary future

Elon Musk's dream of sending humans to Mars is becoming increasingly tangible, with SpaceX working on groundbreaking technology to make interplanetary travel a reality. But will the ambitious timeline hold up?

Why Mars? The Ideal Next Frontier

At an average distance of about 140 million miles, Mars is one of Earth’s closest and most habitable neighbours. Musk’s vision centres on the idea that, despite the challenges, Mars is a prime candidate for human colonisation. Why? Mars receives ample sunlight, similar to Earth, and its days are just a bit longer, around 24 hours and 37 minutes. It’s an environment that’s far from ideal, but one that can be transformed according to scientists.

Mars’ atmosphere, mostly composed of carbon dioxide (CO2), presents both a challenge and an opportunity: If we could compress the atmosphere, we might even be able to grow plants. The planet's gravity is about 38% of Earth's, meaning humans could bound around with ease and lift heavy objects, a fascinating prospect for those imagining life on Mars. 

The Starship: The Gateway to Mars

Central to Musk's Mars mission is Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft. This fully reusable rocket system, including the Starship spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster, is designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth’s orbit, the Moon, and, of course, Mars.

Starship is currently the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed. It’s capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes in a fully reusable configuration, and up to 250 metric tonnes in an expendable one. This makes it a crucial tool for humanity’s Mars ambitions.

The entry and landing on Mars, however, won’t be easy. Starship will enter Mars' atmosphere at speeds of 7.5 kilometres per second, which means decelerating aerodynamically is a major challenge. Musk has already acknowledged that the heatshield, designed to withstand multiple entries, will face tougher conditions when entering Mars’ atmosphere. Nonetheless, SpaceX continues to test heatshield materials in simulated Mars conditions to ensure Starship can make these landings safely.

The Mars Timeline: A Slippery Goal

The road to Mars is far from smooth though. Musk has a notoriously optimistic timeline, and although his predictions have often missed the mark, they reflect his ambition. Musk has suggested that SpaceX could send its first uncrewed mission to Mars by late 2026. The window of opportunity for a Mars mission opens once every two years when Earth and Mars align, so 2026 is a critical year for SpaceX.

Musk’s timeline for crewed missions to Mars is more flexible, with 2029 being a possible target for the first human landing. However, he admitted that 2031 might be a more realistic expectation. The first flights will likely carry Tesla's humanoid robots—Optimus—who will act as the simulated crew until humans can take the leap.

Bumps Along the Way

SpaceX’s journey has been riddled with setbacks. In the past, Musk’s ambitious deadlines for Mars missions have been pushed back multiple times. In 2016, Musk proposed sending humans to Mars by 2024; this was later revised to 2026. However, several recent test flights of the Starship rocket have faced failures, including one in which the rocket exploded minutes after liftoff in early 2023.

Despite these failures, Musk remains determined. After each failure, he and his team analyse the data and continue pushing forward. After one such explosion, Musk said, “Not easy making life multiplanetary,” showing his unwavering resolve. While these failed tests provide setbacks, Musk believes they ultimately help SpaceX get closer to achieving its ambitious goals.

Musk’s Motivations: An Existential Need

Why does Musk want to send humans to Mars? The answer lies in his concern for Earth’s future. Musk has long said that humanity needs to become a multi-planetary species to ensure its survival. Whether caused by natural disasters, climate change, or human-made catastrophes, Musk argues that it’s important to have a "backup" plan for humanity.

“If something terrible happens on Earth, either made by humans or natural, we want to have life insurance for life as a whole,” Musk said. Mars, according to him, is humanity’s best shot at achieving that insurance.

Musk’s vision is not just about saving humanity, though. He envisions a thriving self-sustaining colony on Mars, with one million people living on the planet by the 2040s. To support this vision, Musk’s SpaceX is developing the necessary technologies to make this happen, everything from building shelters to creating systems for generating energy and growing food.

What’s Next?

Musk’s ambitious mission to Mars is part of his grander plan to help humanity become multi-planetary. He’s also working with NASA on lunar missions, with the goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2027 as part of NASA’s Artemis Program. But Mars is the ultimate goal.

f SpaceX’s Starship can prove its reliability in upcoming tests, Musk’s dream of reaching Mars could very well come true. But the road is long, and the challenges immense. However, Musk remains confident. 

“We’re going to make it so that anyone can travel to Mars if they would like,” he said.

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