Mars, the “Red Planet”, lies just across the asteroid belt from Earth in our Solar System. On average, a mere 54 million kilometers (33.9 million miles) separates Earth and Mars when they are closest to each other. This occurs when Earth is at its aphelion, meaning the furthest distance from the Sun in orbit, and Mars, inversely, is at its Perihelion, meaning the closest distance from the Sun in orbit. Now I think anyone is able to recognize that 54 million kilometers is a massive distance and is almost unfathomable to the mind, however, it could soon become an immersive reality to travel this distance in just a few months. Thanks to Elon Musk, founder of the American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, SpaceX, we could soon set foot on the desolate, rusty surface of Mars.

Elon Musk founded the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) in 2002 with the vision to reduce space transportation costs and make colonizing Mars a reality. SpaceX is currently contracted by the United States government to ship supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) and has successfully launched over 30 separate missions for governments and entities across the world. SpaceX is also privately-funded which allows research and development to thrive year-round. As you can see Elon Musk’s company has quickly become the top candidate for traveling to Mars.

On September 27th, 2016, Elon Musk held an elaborate and immersive keynote presentation to the International Astronautical Congress. Wondering what his presentation consisted of? Simply put the human colonization of Mars. He envisions the very first manned-trip to Mars to occur in late 2024 and once you watch his keynote you will totally agree! Using methane-fueled reusable spaceships and the largest rocket ever built there is a strong possibility around 100 people will begin the six-month journey to the Red Planet. Musk is confident that interplanetary travel is the imminent future and ensures the humans of Earth that he will make it happen.

SpaceX has designed the new Mars Vehicle after the current rocket body set to launch in 2017, the Falcon Heavy. The Falcon Heavy current produces around 5,130,000 lbf of thrust at sea level during take-off. The new Mars Vehicle being developed by SpaceX produces an astonishing 28,730,000 lbf of thrust at takeoff! What is the magic behind a nearly 500 percent increase in thrust? The answer is the Raptor rocket engine designed and developed by SpaceX. Each rocket produces 690,000 lbf of thrust. That being said, the Mars Vehicle developed by SpaceX will consist of 42 Raptor rocket engines. The Mars Vehicle will feature a spaceship capable of holding over 100 people and is constructed with an advanced type of carbon fiber. All of this basically means that this Mars Vehicle created by SpaceX is going to massive and unprecedented.

Humans have been fascinated by the idea of setting foot on the rusty surface of Mars for decades. In a matter of years, this could finally take place. The idea of colonizing Mars consists of many ideas and aspects, so join me in the next part of “Operation: Colonize Mars” next week as I discuss the importance of a journey to Mars and terraforming the Red Planet.