In recent months and years, the figure of Elon Musk has undergone a significant transformation. Once seen as a liberal icon who revolutionized the electric vehicle industry and aspired to colonize Mars, Musk has now emerged as a fervent supporter of Donald Trump. Following the Republican victory in the elections, Musk took to the social network X to declare, “The future will be fantastic!”, alongside a post featuring the SpaceX Starship rocket.
Evidently, the billionaire hopes that Trump will assist in advancing his space exploration ambitions. However, questions linger on whether the new president possesses a concrete plan or if it is merely populist rhetoric. Nevertheless, Musk is not the only influential figure with ambitious plans for space exploration. His long-standing rival, Jeff Bezos, has also unveiled his vision for the future of humanity in space, which differs significantly.
Musk believes that there are significant existential threats, such as artificial intelligence and climate change, that jeopardize the survival of the human species on Earth. Consequently, he views SpaceX as a mission to transform humanity into a “multiplanetary species” to safeguard civilization’s continuation.
The reusable Starship rocket plays a pivotal role in Musk’s strategy. Capable of transporting both cargo and crew to the moon, Mars, and beyond within the solar system, Starship is poised to revolutionize space exploration. With a capacity to carry up to 100 individuals at a time, Musk envisions over 1000 such rockets launching by 2050, accommodating a million inhabitants on Mars as humanity’s new home. By using Starship, humanity can traverse the solar system while utilizing available resources for refueling.
Conversely, Bezos advocates for an emphasis on constructing massive rotating space stations rather than colonizing planets. Employing the engineering concept of O’Neill cylinders, these stations would rotate to generate artificial gravity and be positioned in close proximity to Earth for ease of access. Bezos envisions transferring industry and logistics to these space stations to unleash humanity’s full potential in creativity and intelligence while preserving the Earth.
Despite SpaceX’s notable achievements overshadowing Blue Origin, which is yet to achieve orbit, Bezos’ plan has garnered NASA support. The agency recently entered into a contract with Blue Origin to develop a private space station that will succeed the International Space Station (ISS). While challenges remain, such as artificial gravity technology, Bezos’ concept of large-scale space stations appears more realistic and practical than Mars colonization.
Nonetheless, the daring concept of transforming humanity into a “multiplanetary species” proposed by Musk undoubtedly captures greater attention. Acknowledging the need for Blue Origin to accelerate development to reduce the