During the StartmeupHK festival in Hong Kong, Elon Musk answered a range of questions about SpaceX, including its plans for Mars, as well as his plans to go into space. Musk said that he believes that human missions to the red planet could begin as early as 2025. He also said that he may get to go to the International Space Station (ISS) in about four to five years.
SpaceX’s plans for a mars mission has piqued the curiosity of many people around the globe and Musk said during the forum that he would unveil its architecture at this year’s International Astronautical Conference (IAC). The IAC is scheduled to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico from September 28 to 30. During the event, he may reveal details about the Mars Colonial Transporter and the reuseable super-heavy lift launch vehicle.
When asked if he had started training for his own space flight, he said that he had taken some parabolic flights that simulate weightlessness. He added that he didn’t think it was that hard as you just “float around.”
When asked why he was so focused on Mars, Musk replied that Mars “is the only planet that we (humans) have a shot at establishing a self sustaining city on.” He added that once a city is established, it may be act as a stimulus for the improvement of spaceflight technology, which may allow humans to establish colonies elsewhere in the solar system. The also described it as “the greatest adventure ever.”
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is expected to launch a mission to the ISS by the end of 2017 and created history last month, by launching and landing a rocket intact. The rocket launched and deployed 11 private ORBCOMM satellites into orbit, and the first stage successfully returned back to the launch area. A few days ago, SpaceX also successfully tested parachutes, which aim to bring the Crew Dragon spacecraft back to Earth. However, it is not all good news for the company as earlier this month, its Falcon 9 rocket toppled over due to a landing leg that failed to latch on. However, before crashing, the rocket did manage to deploy the Jason-3 satellite into orbit.