Elon Musk says that a base of Mars could occur by 2028

SpaceX is rushing ahead with the Big Falcon Rocket Project (BFR) with the aim of sending a Japanese fashion mogul to lunar mission in 2023. That's not the only thing Elon Musk CEO has for the WCR. Characteristically offended, Musk noted on Twitter that he thought SpaceX could have a Mars base built in 2028. NASA wondered whether it was possible to launch a Mars mission in the 2030s.

The Twitter exchange does not contain much information. A few days ago, Musk tweeted a new rendition of a Mars base with BFR rockets landed nearby. Someone asked when such a thing was likely to happen, and Musk said 2028.

This timeline is about what SpaceX has said about its BFR plans in the past. The first test flights are expected to take place in the coming years, so that the company can confirm that the BFR is working before putting people there. In earlier speeches, Musk said that SpaceX plans to send a pair of unmanned BFRs to Mars in 2022, followed by two more in 2024. That year, two BFR crew rockets could also head to the planet. red. Each unmanned rocket could carry up to 100 tons of material to begin construction of the colony. These six rockets would form the backbone of a starting base that would expand as more and more people move to them.

SpaceX has only started building the first BFRs, which will be reusable spacecraft. Many things could still go wrong and even small delays can lead to significant changes in the timeline. It is only efficient to fly to Mars at certain times, because the orbits of the two planets bring them together. Failure to meet a deadline of a few weeks could postpone the mission's schedule for months or years.

Probably 2028 for a base to be built

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2018

Having a human city built on Mars in a decade is ambitious – we are talking here about an ambitious 1960s moon landing. SpaceX not only needs to develop and test a new rocket to make the trip, but also to understand how people can survive on Mars. Radiation poses a serious risk to long-term health on Mars, for example. Even the fundamental problems are unresolved, such as the possibility of extracting a significant amount of water from Mars. SpaceX has suggested in the past that settlers would need to extract a ton of ice every day to become self-sufficient and ensure that BFRs could be refueled for a return trip. Living on Mars could be difficult if a human settlement is entirely dependent on the water transported from the Earth.

We will have a better idea of ​​the likelihood that this schedule will occur as the BFR takes shape. If the mission of the inhabited moon is delayed, it is unlikely that a Mars base will occur in a decade.

Now read: SpaceX announces Manned Dragon Flight as scheduled for April 2019, SpaceX previously launched Falcon 9 and Dragon Capsule, and SpaceX's BFR vehicle is already taking shape