According to SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk, now is the best time to colonize the red planet.
“Now is the first time in the history of Earth that the window is open, where it’s possible for us to extend life to another planet.” Musk said at the American Geophysical Union’s annual winter meeting. “That window may be open for a long time – and hopefully it is – but it also may be open for a short time. I think the wise move is to make life multi-planetary while we can.”
NBC News cited that Musk mentioned that he started SpaceX in 2002 to make human beings a multi-planet species. He aimed for Earth to have an independent outpost in Mars to serve as insurance, in case there are threats that could wipe out all people in the world.
He added that colonizing Mars will also further scientific findings and boost technological capabilities. People will also be very interested to experience life in outer space and in other planets.
Musk mentioned that there are already a number of technological devices and methods that allow humans to colonize Mars, such as fast reusable rockets and being able to create rocket propellant using local materials from the red planet. The advances in technology has significantly cut the cost of spaceflight by a factor of 100, according to the billionaire.
Space.com revealed that SpaceX tried a couple of times in 2015 to land a Falcon 9 first phase on an independent drone ship located in the Atlantic Ocean during its orbital launches. However, both attempts turned out to be near misses.
SpaceX will continue aiming for the Falcon 9 to have soft landings. Musk said that gravity has to be considered carefully to achieve success in their recent projects.
Although Musk aims to play a vital role in spreading humanity to other planets, he does not expect to be alive when the fruits of his efforts are fully in order. He said that it will be extremely difficult to attain the objective.
Furthermore, Mars does not seem to have any lifeform at the moment. Martian underground is more accommodating, since any possible organisms under the surface will be safe from the dangerous radiation surroundings and temperatures.
“I suspect I won’t live to see it become self-sustaining.” Musk said.
More updates and details on SpaceX, and future missions to Mars are expected in the coming weeks.