President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk both believe humanity’s future could lie on Mars – and possibly soon.
Musk, founder of SpaceX and the world’s richest man, says humans could land on Mars as early as 2029.
This vision goes far beyond NASA’s own timeline, which sees a human mission to Mars by 2040 as a bold target.
Meanwhile, China is also planning to set up a robotic Mars research base by 2038, showing the global interest.
Musk believes going to Mars could save humanity from disasters on Earth, including climate change, war, or pandemics.
Scientists also see Mars as a key to understanding life beyond Earth, due to its early similarities with our planet.
“Mars and early Earth were very much alike, so life could have started on both,” said scientist Robert Zubrin.
But travelling to Mars and living there won’t be easy – in fact, it will be incredibly dangerous and difficult.
NASA official Amit Kshatriya warned that everything from radiation and life support to rockets must be much more reliable.
At the centre of Musk’s Mars dream is Starship – SpaceX’s huge rocket, still in testing after a recent explosion.
Despite its last flight ending in failure, SpaceX successfully recovered its booster, and a new launch is coming soon.
CNBC recently visited a Mars simulation site in Utah to explore how humans might one day survive in that harsh world.
Whether Musk’s dream becomes reality or not, the race to Mars is now underway – and the whole world is watching.
