Second Stage Mars

Mars Vision Translates to Pragmatism

With each launch and iterative step of Starship, Mars comes a little closer. This is the culmination of SpaceX’s founding mission that is finally coming to fruition.

“Progress is measured by the timeline to establishing a self-sustaining civilization on Mars.” ~ SpaceX/X

For years SpaceX held weekly meetings to brainstorm and evaluate the best way to colonize Mars, in the minimum time and cost. Eventually they decided to build a herculean launch vehicle and produce as many as possible to transport millions of tons to Mars and make it self-sustaining. This brute force approach promises to be effective due to its simplicity and reliance on well established technologies, e.g. chemical rockets, solar energy and Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). Form perfectly fits function for Starship, i.e. it will send people to Mars in large numbers along with all the necessary equipment to survive.

Starship Honeymoon

Arcadia Planitia landing site on Mars, credit SpaceX

Early landings on Mars should be phenomenal, delivering a number of Optimus robots to prepare the landing site for the arrival of Crew Starships. These pressurized vehicles will be used as foundation habitats during the colonies early years, to exploit maximum benefit from their robust ECLSS and radiation protection. Then SpaceX intend to send more, much more, because quantity has a quality all its own.

Mars Dilemma