Elon Musk reveals latest plans to colonize Mars
He mentioned that the next chance to get to Mars is late next year. According to SpaceX's founder, the odds of success are currently 50-50. Musk thinks humans need a backup plan.
He said, 'Even if you don't want to do it, maybe you have a son or daughter who wants to do it or a friend who wants to do it. And I think it would be the best adventure that one could possibly do to help build a new civilization on a new planet.'
But there are some challenges ahead, like perfecting orbital refueling for Starship.
Musk said, 'Orbital propellant transfer, so you can no think of this similar to aerial refueling for airplanes but in this case its orbital refilling of rockets, which has never been done before.'
'We've had what, nine test launches, still experiencing a string of what I would call sort of related issues that have to be addressed before this thing is even a viable operational orbital vehicle, let alone a Mars vehicle," said Dr. Don Platt an Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Tech.
Platt continues, 'So, a ton of things happened before this thing was ready to go to Mars. Now, of course, SpaceX has had a You know, in the past, the reputation deservedly so of being able to get a lot of things done in a short amount of time. Still, the Starship has, I'm sure that they have been scratching our heads that we're there at SpaceX about sort of these continued problems they're having.'
The FAA is currently requiring a mishap investigation for Starship Flight 9.
Musk has a Mars timeline: 2026 prove we can get to Mars, 2028-2029 land initial infrastructure and prep landing areas, 2030-31 habitat construction, and 2033 increase independence from Earth.
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