The Mars Mission is uppermost in the mind of Elon Musk, and he plans to launch his SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket hopefully by November. It can carry a load of around 140,000 lb to low-earth orbit and is intended to lift huge loads of cargo and transport human beings to the Moon and Mars to establish colonies on distant planets.
The purpose of this exercise would be to gain confidence because it will have to, finally, take human beings to other planets as a part of colonization plans. The rocket will take off with four million lbs (1.8 million kg) of thrust from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
SpaceX will offer a cheaper option
Daily Mail UK reports that Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has said the Falcon Heavy rocket would provide a means to lift large amounts of cargo into space at a relatively low cost. Initial estimates are $85 million for each flight of the rocket whereas the corresponding cost with Space Launch System of NASA, which is more powerful, will come to around $500 million per launch.
To demonstrate the workings of the reusable rocket from launch to return to Earth, he has released a video. He is proud of it and has described it as 'the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.' He has his eyes on Mars and its colonization plans and is promoting the concept.
The short video clip shows the craft as it covers the stages from lift off to landing back to Earth and ready for reuse. The landing could be in the ocean because it may not be feasible to land it back on the ground. The landing site is immaterial but, it is a plus point for him because he has tested and proved that the rockets need not be of the one-time-use types but can be reused.
That helps in reducing the cost and is a major positive for him.
Preparations for the Mars mission
Elon Musk knows that to transport humans to the Moon or Mars as a part of the colonization plans; the rocket must have the capacity to lift a large enough load that will house the crew, the spacecraft, and cargo. The rocket will be equipped with engines that can generate nearly 2.32 million kg of thrust at liftoff and be able to carry more than 140,000 pounds of payload to low-Earth orbit.
The flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket has already been delayed. The original plan was to fly it in 2013, but teething problems led to delays. However, Elon Musk is a visionary, and The Telegraph reports that he is confident that a vast Martian city could be established this century … it would not just be an outpost, but a fully functioning society with ‘iron foundries and pizza joints.
