Day Trip to Mars? Space X it! Musk Puts ‘Short Flights’ to Mars on Next Years Agenda
In the last few years, the space race has re-heated up with the likes of Space X contributing to it. While the company encountered setbacks in 2015 with its test rocket, momentum is building in 2018. And with announcements such as wanting to bring the internet to potential Martians, it’s hard not to get excited.
More recently Elon Musk is confident of success, and in a speech at the SXSW festival, Mars is within reach. Musk states that interplanetary travel will be possible by early 2019 with short up and down travel missions taking place.
“We are building the first ship, or interplanetary ship, right now… able to do short flights, short up and down flights, during the first half of next year.”
Space X – A Martian Future under Mans Constellation
Musks long-term ambition to send people to Mars has since gained him fame among the internet. Which has since titled the entrepreneur the ‘God Emperor of Mars‘. While interplanetary travel via short flights may begin from early 2019, the longer-term dream is to complete large-scale landings from 2022.
Far from being a purely scientific endeavour, Musk aspires to bring the comforts of home to the Red Planet. Illustrating the commercial opportunities that emerge from the long-term colonisation plans for businesses. “Mars will need everything from iron foundries to pizza joints,” he said. “Mars should really have great bars…A Mars bar.”
One of the other advantages for future colonists, apart from being on Mars, is the fact that Musk is pushing for a satellite constellation. In March 2017, Space X put forward a proposal of 4,425 Satellites in orbit around earth, providing individual internet access. Sound exciting? It should! Because depending on its success, this constellation network would be used for the first generations of Martians.
We can only imagine if that means streaming high definition on Youtube would be better on Mars or Earth. At the very least, it’ll be a revolutionary argument to have!
