Extremely difficult but not impossible task: Elon Musk outlines SpaceX’s bold plan for Mars exploration

New Delhi: Elon Musk recently shared an update on SpaceX’s ambitious Mars mission, highlighting key developments in reusable rocket technology. Citing the importance of reusability, Musk explained that SpaceX has revolutionized space travel with the first fully reusable rocket stage. More importantly, the reuse of rockets is now economically viable, making interplanetary travel a realistic goal.

Musk's aims to establish a sustainable city in Mars

Musk outlined that building a self-sustaining city on Mars will require reducing the current cost of sending a ton of useful payload from a billion dollars to $100,000 per ton. Achieving this would necessitate technological advancements that are “10,000 times better,” an extremely difficult but not impossible task.

SpaceX plans to send its first Starships to Mars in two years during the next Earth-Mars transfer window. These initial launches will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on the Martian surface. If successful, the first crewed missions could follow within four years. Musk aims for an exponential increase in flight rates, with the long-term goal of establishing a self-sustaining city on Mars within 20 years.

SpaceX created the first fully reusable rocket stage and, much more importantly, made the reuse economically viable.

Making life multiplanetary is fundamentally a cost per ton to Mars problem.

It currently costs about a billion dollars per ton of useful payload to the surface… https://t.co/bVQJL8JeV5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2024

Mars as a planet with significant potential

Elon Musk envisions Mars as a planet with significant potential for human habitation, despite its current harsh conditions. He believes that while Mars is colder than Earth, it can be warmed up to create a more suitable environment for human life. One approach Musk has previously suggested is terraforming, a process that involves altering the planet’s atmosphere and surface to make it more Earth-like. By introducing certain technologies, it may be possible to raise the temperature on Mars, melting polar ice caps and releasing trapped gases, which could contribute to a warmer climate.

The atmosphere of Mars is primarily composed of carbon dioxide (CO2), with some nitrogen, argon, and trace gases. According to Musk, this composition can be leveraged to grow plants. By compressing the Martian atmosphere, humans could create enclosed, controlled environments in which plants could thrive. The ability to grow food directly on Mars would be a critical step toward sustaining human life on the planet without relying solely on supplies from Earth.

Musk’s vision for Mars involves harnessing the planet’s existing resources—its CO2-rich atmosphere and low gravity—to create a sustainable human presence.