2024-07-21 16:21:00
Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman and mastermind behind companies like SpaceX and Tesla, has approved the proposal to name the first city on Mars as “Terminus”. A user on social network X proposed the idea and Musk responded favorably in late June, with the message “Here’s my vote.”
Musk has repeatedly expressed his ambitious goal of building a self-sufficient city on Mars using SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle.
This project is considered one of the most innovative in the history of space exploration, Their ultimate goal is to create a colony on Mars that can sustain itself in the long term.
To make this vision a reality, Musk plans to mobilize some essential materials to Mars once Starship reaches the red planet. These would include equipment and resources intended for building infrastructure, power generation, mining and propellant production, among others.
Likewise, the ability to generate these resources on Mars is considered critical to the long-term viability of the colony. One of the highlights of the project is Musk’s plan to transport one million people to Mars by 2050.
However, this dream faces numerous challenges, as the development of Starship is still in the testing stages. Since 2023, the vehicle has made four test flights, the last of which was successful in Junewhere it met all objectives and achieved a smooth landing in the Indian Ocean.
Despite the challenges, The expectations for the future of Starship are high. In March, Musk said he expected at least six more flights of the rocket this year.
One of the next flights aims to attempt to land the vehicle’s booster at the Starbase launch site, instead of in the Gulf of Mexico.
This would be a significant step towards full rocket reusability, a capability that SpaceX considers necessary to reduce the costs of space flight.
Since its inception, SpaceX has placed a strong emphasis on rocket reuse. The company currently achieves 80% reusability with its Falcon rocket and aims to achieve full reusability with Starship.
Similarly, the ability to reuse a rocket not only reduces costs, but also, it increases the frequency and efficiency of space missions.
NASA also has confidence in Starship’s potential. The US space agency has contracted SpaceX for future manned missions to the Moon, confident of the success of the vehicle’s development.
The last manned mission to the Moon was Apollo 17, carried out in 1972; Since then, no crew has traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Starship’s success on future missions could signal the return of humans to deep space exploration and open the door to human settlement on other planets.
Musk’s ambitious schedule faces many technical and logistical challenges. However, The progress to date represents significant progress and is generating excitement in the space community.
Although test flights have presented difficulties, each effort provides valuable data and experience that brings SpaceX one step closer to its goal.
For his part, the name “Terminus” for the first city on Mars can symbolize not only the end of a long journey, but also the beginning of a new era in the expansion of humanity over Earth.
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