It’s no secret that Elon Musk wants humanity to get to Mars. The tech billionaire has been chasing that dream for nearly two decades, and now it’s starting to look like his space company, SpaceX, will finally make it possible. even when? Musk says in the next five to ten years.
In a recent interview, Musk was asked again – “When do you think SpaceX will land someone on Mars?” To this end, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX replied that in the best possible scenario, SpaceX could put a man on Mars within the next five years. The worst-case scenario could extend into the next ten years.
Which is still commendable, considering the debate is about sending a living, breathing human being to the surface of another planet, a possibility that would have been fiercely derided if we only lived half a century ago. Now, we have massive rockets like the SpaceX spacecraft, which could soon make Musk’s dream and many other rockets possible.
It’s not that Musk is overly optimistic. When podcaster Lex Friedman asked the question during the interview, Musk stared at it for ten seconds. Then he said, “The best case is about five years, and the worst is about ten years,” enough words to stir excitement in the hearts of all space lovers.
This isn’t the first time Musk has suggested a timeline for humans to land on Mars. In an interview with Time magazine earlier this month, Musk said, “I would be surprised if we don’t get to Mars in five years.” The timeline seems to have gotten more realistic since then.
Although it should be noted that Musk has a notorious reputation for missing deadlines for his goals. With good reason, because his ambitions are often considered crazy, at least until the world sees him fulfill them. Landing a man on Mars is one of those aspirations. Making a rocket big enough for this is another thing.
Musk seems to be in control of the latter half. In his recent interview, he highlighted how the determinants of a huge mission include “rocket engineering.” He took the opportunity to mention the grandeur of the spacecraft, calling it “the most complex and advanced rocket ever.” “It’s really next level,” he said.
Musk explained that the level of improvement on the spacecraft is critical to this mission. Musk explained that the missile is able to reduce the cost per ton per orbit and “eventually the cost per ton on Mars.”
Although this is critical to the task. This, of course, will not be the only factor that will constitute a manned flight to Mars. While it seems that Musk, like the other agencies associated with the project, still has time to find out everything.
