"Going to Mars within 10 years" assured... Musk, will he cause an 'accident' in space this time? [Reading Science]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Elon Musk, who has caused a stir worldwide by acquiring the social networking service 'Twitter,' now seems poised to make a 'splash' in space. Space exploration company SpaceX, founded by Musk, has boldly declared that it will carry out a Mars exploration mission within 10 years.

On the 7th at 11 p.m. (Eastern Time, USA), Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX, is scheduled to appear on the interview program 'Inspiring America,' which will be broadcast on CNBC. According to a pre-released video, Shotwell stated, "I believe (manned exploration of Mars) will take place within 10 years. Humanity is also planning to return to the Moon soon." She added, "It is necessary to secure a large launch vehicle capable of carrying a lot of cargo to the surface of Mars, and once that happens, people will become increasingly interested in Mars," explaining, "In my opinion, within 5 to 6 years, people will think of Mars as a place they can actually go to."

In this regard, SpaceX is developing the super-large launch vehicle Starship, capable of carrying large-scale cargo and long-distance spaceflight for Mars exploration. It consists of the super-heavy rocket 'Super Heavy' and the manned spacecraft Starship, which can carry up to 100 people. Starship has already entered the final stages of development and is expected to conduct its first orbital flight test soon. In 2023, it will carry Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on a lunar orbit travel mission. Additionally, it has been selected as the manned lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program lunar landing mission, scheduled to be executed after 2025. NASA plans to extend the Artemis program to Mars exploration, but the mission is planned for around 2040, more than 10 years later than Shotwell's estimate. A variable factor is the investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) into SpaceX's Starship development site, 'Starbase,' located in Texas, regarding rocket fuel atmospheric pollution issues. The investigation, originally scheduled to be completed by the end of last year, has been extended until the end of this month.

Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of colonizing Mars. He shows his passion for space development to the extent that he often wears T-shirts with the phrase "I will definitely go to Mars." SpaceX succeeded in drastically reducing space launch costs by developing the reusable Falcon 9 rocket, revolutionizing the satellite launch outsourcing business. Furthermore, it has launched over 2,000 small satellites to date, and its satellite internet service gained significant attention during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.