Elon Musk’s bold race to Mars: Can he really make it happen?

BY AMARI SUKHDEO

Elon Musk, the maverick CEO of SpaceX, has long captured the world’s imagination with his audacious goal: making humanity a multiplanetary species by colonizing Mars. It sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi novel, but as of March 2025, Musk’s dream is inching closer to reality with a series of remarkable milestones and strategic plans. The question is — can he actually pull it off?

At the heart of Musk’s martian ambition is Starship — a fully reusable spacecraft designed to carry both crew and cargo to Mars and beyond. What makes Starship revolutionary is its focus on affordability and reusability, aiming to cut the astronomical costs of space travel and make interplanetary colonization economically feasible. With a payload capacity of up to 100 passengers and cutting-edge technology, Starship is engineered for large-scale missions. Recent high-altitude test flights and successful landings have shown that SpaceX is making real progress. It’s not just theory anymore — the hardware is starting to deliver.

Before humans set foot on Mars, SpaceX plans to launch about five uncrewed Starship missions over the next two years. These missions are designed to lay the groundwork by delivering essential supplies — water, oxygen, fuel, and infrastructure equipment. Establishing a reliable supply chain and figuring out how to land on Mars consistently will be critical.

“If humanity doesn’t land on Mars in my lifetime, I would be very disappointed.”

Musk’s timeline is nothing short of bold. He envisions the first crewed missions to Mars by 2028 — a blistering pace considering the scale of the challenge. These initial missions will focus on building habitats, setting up life support systems, and establishing a sustainable outpost. Musk’s ultimate goal? A thriving, self-sufficient Martian city within the next two decades; but let’s be real — this is where things get tricky. Sending humans to Mars isn’t just about surviving the trip — it’s about surviving on Mars.

Challenges that could make or break the mission.

Technology and safety – Starship will need to be practically bulletproof for the months-long journey. Life support systems, radiation shielding, and emergency protocols must be foolproof.

Resource utilization – Musk plans to use martian resources to produce water, oxygen, and fuel — but those technologies are still in early development. Without local resource production, survival will depend entirely on Earth-based supply lines.

Financing the dream – Colonizing Mars won’t be cheap. Musk will need a mix of private funding, government support, and possibly commercial opportunities to keep the mission afloat.

Governance and ethics – Who owns Mars? How will laws work? What happens if conflicts arise? Building a society on a new planet raises complex moral and political questions that humanity has never faced before.

Musk’s Mars obsession has already triggered a global shift in how we think about space. Governments, private companies, and even international agencies are being pushed to rethink space policies, invest in new technologies, and consider the implications of life beyond Earth. The idea of a self-sustaining city on Mars isn’t just about exploration — it’s about human survival. Musk argues that becoming a multiplanetary species is essential for the long-term survival of humanity, especially in the face of potential planetary disasters. Is this just a grand illusion, or are we genuinely on the brink of humanity’s most incredible chapter? Will Musk’s vision survive the brutal realities of space travel — or will Mars remain forever out of reach?