SpaceX Reveals Mars City Plan Starting 2022
SpaceX founder Elon Musk gave a presentation at the 2017 International Astronautical Congress in Australia, and what followed was an exciting and more realistic vision that could ultimately lead humans to become an interplanetary species, starting with an outpost on Mars.
Humankind exploring space is an exciting concept, Musk noted, as he started his talk. "The future is vastly more exciting and interesting if we're a space-faring species than if we're not," the SpaceX founder commented in his presentation.
There's a lot of work to be done to achieve that, and much of it has to do with money, Musk noted, addressing a sticking point in his space exploration plan that's been pointed out time and again by critics, according to Tech Crunch.
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One way to make the project financially feasible is to streamline all SpaceX vehicles toward just one engine — the BFR rocket. This design combines booster and ship in one reusable vehicle that could replace the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Dragon.
The same vehicle could service the International Space Station, launch their customers' satellites into orbit, help establish a moon base, and perhaps reach Mars one day, as well.
SpaceX is working towards perfecting the propulsive landing, another milestone to make a Mars supply line possible. The current track record is looking good, Musk noted. "That's what they've been doing across 16 successful landings in a row," he said, referring to the Falcon 9.
The Falcon 9 has been doing that with just a single engine. With the two engines of the BFR rocket, the day is not far off when landing reliability becomes comparable to commercial airlines today.
The ultimate goal, though, is the red planet, which SpaceX plans to break into in 2022 by landing two cargo missions. The company aims to remotely establish mining, power and life support in time for manned missions by 2024, as summarized by Engadget.
The video below shows Musk's presentation at the space exploration event in Australia, where he shed some light into the new directions he plans to lead SpaceX towards, as the company works to make a Mars colony a reality in the not-so-distant future.
