SpaceX, NASA, and other U.S institutions teamed up to discuss plans for using Starship to build Mars Base Alpha.
The most part of the discussion was about the near-term hurdles. The cost, to be more specific is the most challenging standing in the face of the permanent and sustainable extraterrestrial human outpost. For more than 50 years, NASA has continuously Put studies to reduce the costs. Unfortunately till now hundreds of billions of dollars are the cost to send a few astronauts to Mars for a few months. A little was mentioned about how to use the next-generation fully-reusable rocket to create a permanent human presence on Mars.
How is this possible?
Before thinking about a temporary or permanent presence on Mars, many steps and strategies should be taken. For example, the inhabitants of the red planet will depend on imported goods from the earth. Of course, that will cost a fortune, not to mention the long periods between making an order and delivery.
This situation needs a real space revolution. A lot of groups and space agencies gave visions of what revolution might look like but none was practical. In another hand, SpaceX is the only one who proposes a solution and invests in significant resources in an attempt to make that vision real.
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Predictions said that in the mid-2020s, SpaceX will begin launching uncrewed Starships to Mars. This will preclude human arrival by delivering significant quantities of cargo to Mars.
According to many current and former SpaceX engineers, “current SpaceX mission planning [tasks those early uncrewed Starships with delivering] equipment for increased power production, water extraction, LOX/methane production, pre-prepared landing pads, radiation shielding, dust control equipment, exterior shelters for humans and equipment, [and more – all hardware needed to support the first human base.]”
The dream of “colonization of mars” that Elon Musk always talks about could come true very soon.
