Editing Space colonization (section)

=== Mars ===
{{Main|Colonization of Mars}}
[[File:Artist’s rendering of the approach to Mars.jpg|thumb|SpaceX has long considered [[SpaceX Mars colonization program|settling and colonizing Mars]] as its prime objective.]]

The hypothetical colonization of Mars has received interest from public space agencies and private corporations and has received extensive treatment in science fiction writing, film, and art.

While there have been many plans for a [[Human mission to Mars|human Mars mission]], including affordable ones such as [[Mars Direct]], none has been realized as of 2025. Both the United States and China have plans to send humans to Mars sometime in the 2040s, but these plans are not backed with hardware and funding.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=219–223}} However, [[SpaceX]] is currently developing [[SpaceX Starship|Starship]], a [[Super heavy-lift launch vehicle|super-heavy-lift reusable launch vehicle]], with a vision of sending humans to Mars. As of November 2024, the company plans to send five uncrewed Starships to Mars in either 2026 or 2028–2029 [[launch window]]s<ref>{{Cite web |title=SpaceX Plans To Send Five Uncrewed Starships to Mars by 2026 |first=Joe |last=Hindy| date=10 October 2024 |url=https://www.cnet.com/science/space/spacex-plans-5-missions-to-mars-by-2026-elon-musk-says/ |access-date=27 November 2024 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> and SpaceX's CEO [[Elon Musk]] has repeatingly stated his support for the Mars efforts, both financially and politically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koren |first=Marina |date=5 November 2024 |title=MAGA Goes to Mars |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/11/musk-trump-mars-spacex/680529/ |access-date=27 November 2024 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref>

Mars is more suitable for habitation than the Moon, with a stronger gravity, rich amount of materials needed for life, day/night cycle nearly identical to Earth, and a thin atmosphere to protect from [[Micrometeoroid|micrometeroids]]. The main disadvantage of Mars compared to the Moon is the six-to-nine-month transit time and the lengthy launch window, which occurs approximately every two years.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=175}} Without [[in situ resource utilization]], Mars colonization would be nearly impossible as it would require bringing thousands of tons of payload to sustain a handful of astronauts. If Martian materials can be used to make propellant (such as [[methane]] with the [[Sabatier reaction|Sabatier process]]) and supplies (such as [[oxygen]] for crews), the amount of supplies needed to bring to Mars can be greatly reduced.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = From local resources to in situ propellant and chemical production on Mars. A possible pathway|journal = Chemical Engineering Journal|date = June 2025|volume = 513|doi = 10.1016/j.cej.2025.162490|first1 = Arturo|last1 = Pajares|first2 =Paulina|last2= Govea-Alvarez|first3=Zhiyuan |last3=Chen|first4= Melchiorre|last4= Conti|first5= Bart |last5= Michielsen|doi-access = free}}</ref><ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=228–230}} Even then, Mars colonies will not be economically viable in the near term, thus reasons for colonizing Mars will be mostly ideological and prestige-based, such as a desire for [[freedom]].<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=267–270, 280}}