Mars has captivated human imagination for centuries, and now it is becoming a potential destination for commercial space missions. NASA has opened the doors for private companies to submit proposals for missions to Mars, ranging from carrying payloads to providing communication services. While the idea of sending astronauts to Mars is still in the future, there is still a strong desire among people to explore the red planet.
Since the 1960s, there have been 50 missions related to Mars, with 31 of them being successful. These missions have provided valuable information about Mars’ atmosphere, orbit, and geology. However, there have also been notable failures, such as the crash of the Schiaparelli lander in 2016. Despite these setbacks, public interest in Mars remains high, with claims of discovering “faces” and “fossilized bones” on its surface.
The cost of interplanetary space missions is significant, with major space agencies spending billions of dollars on Mars exploration. However, sending humans to Mars would require even more resources and technological advancements.
NASA is now exploring new ways to undertake space missions by involving the commercial sector. Companies like SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, are at the forefront of this new approach. SpaceX’s development of Falcon rockets, Starlink satellites, and the Starship rocket represents a departure from NASA’s traditional model. SpaceX embraces rapid changes, quick iterations, and learning from failure.
NASA’s current roadmap involves returning to the Moon with the Artemis program before setting sights on Mars. In this roadmap, NASA is shifting towards leveraging commercial providers instead of in-house development. This approach could potentially be cheaper and more efficient, while also stimulating the commercial sector and generating economic and social impact.
However, it is still early days for the commercial approach, and it needs to prove its effectiveness. Critics argue that relying on commercial providers may lead to a gradual decay of capabilities within NASA. The success of the approach will be tested with the upcoming Moon missions.
The question of whether humans should go to Mars is a subject of debate. Mars has long been associated with mystery, promise, and danger in popular culture. Some argue that before venturing to another planet, we should focus on taking care of Earth and promoting sustainability. However, history has shown that a small fraction of the population, driven by motivation and capital, can make exploration happen. Mars is unlikely to be an exception to this trend.