Elon Musk has returned to talk about a possible human mission to Mars. During the Lex Fridman podcast, also available on YouTube and listenable by the player below, Musk has renewed the goal of bringing man to Mars quickly. According to the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, man will arrive on Mars in less than ten years.
Elon Musk wants to take humans to Mars within the next 10 years
At best, according to Musk, it will take 5 years to reach Mars. In the worst case scenario, however, the first human mission to the red planet will be completed in 10 years. In both cases, these are extremely optimistic forecasts compared to what appears to be the reality of space exploration by humanity.
The goal is minimize the costs to accomplish the mission, optimizing all the elements involved. The promises of Elon Musk are, notoriously, exaggerated, especially as regards the timing of realization. Consequently, the goal of reaching Mars in just 10 years appears, for both practical and cost reasons, all too unrealistic.
The 2022 will be a pivotal year for SpaceX and the Starship project. Orbital testing will tell us a lot about the actual technology level of Musk’s project.
Musk’s words
Below is the Lex Fridman podcast featuring Elon Musk. The exploration of Mars is dealt with starting from minute 27.