In an interview with Time, which recognized Elon Musk as the person of the year, the Tesla founder decided to talk about the colonization of Mars. According to the billionaire, the first people should set foot on the surface of the Red Planet in the next 5 years.
Although SpaceX abandoned the development of the Red Dragon project in 2017, its ideas continue to live on in the future ITS – Interplanetary Transport System, which is scheduled to arrive to Mars in 2025.
“I will be surprised if we do not land on Mars in the next five years. The next really important step will be building a sustainable city,” said Elon Musk.
We are talking about a permanent colony with hydroponic farms powered by solar energy, which will be populated not only by humans, but also by terrestrial animals.
Greg Autry, an expert on space policy from Arizona State University, was rather skeptical about the idea of a businessman.
The latter told Business Insider that the planned spaceship is unlikely to reach Mars until at least 2029, regardless of NASA assistance.
The problem lies not so much in the complexities of the ship’s design as in ensuring safety for the crew: its members must be guaranteed protection from space radiation, accidents and overloads incompatible with life.
