His argument is straightforward. Governments, he believes, will eventually return humans to the Moon because competition between the US and China makes it almost inevitable.
Now that Starship V3 has made its debut, we are one step closer to making life multiplanetary.
During Fram2 training, apart from the usual Dragon-related topics, I remember that what we talked about most in the training room was how to reliably tether down on Phobos.
Mars is a different story. Without private money keeping it on the table, he fears the goal could slip out of reach entirely.
“I hope that by purchasing a flyby mission to Mars, SpaceX will have another reason not to forget about Mars,” Wang said.
The crew of four conducted experiments during the flight, including taking an X-ray in space and growing mushrooms. The Mars mission would take that ambition considerably further.
SpaceX: A City On Mars, One Ticket At A TimeSpaceX’s broader vision for Mars goes well beyond a single flyby. Reports indicate the company aims to eventually build a self-sustaining city on the planet, a goal it estimates will require more than 1 million people and millions of tons of cargo. Cargo flights for research and exploratory purposes are not expected before 2028.
Wang says the mission carries a message beyond the technical. “I hope this mission can show the public that Mars is not just a point of light in a telescope,” he said. “It is a real place, and humans can fly there and come back alive and come back healthy.”
The Chinese-born citizen of Malta joins a growing group of tech entrepreneurs who have moved from funding space ventures to riding on them, including Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Jared Isaacman.
Featured image from SpaceX, chart from TradingView
