SpaceX 'Making Progress' Toward Creating Permanent Mars Colony

As NASA is testing their LDSD spacecraft in Hawaii for future landings on Mars, founder and CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, says the private space company is making progress toward establishing a permanent colony on the red planet.

SpaceX has been at the forefront of space news lately, as their Falcon 9 rocket was recently found to be reusable after landing safely in the Atlantic Ocean following a cargo resupply mission to the ISS, their Dragon spacecraft returned from the ISS on Sunday, and their current battle with the U.S. Air Force over national security-related launches continues to make headlines.

The fact that the Falcon 9 rocket was found to be reusable is a "critical achievement on the road to Mars," Musk said at the 33^rd annual International Space Development Conference. SpaceX is currently in the process of developing the Falcon heavy rocket, which hopes to be the world's most powerful rocket, and their next development will be a next-generation rocket that would use a methane-based propulsion system to send human explorers to Mars.

"The reason SpaceX was created was to accelerate development of rocket technology, all for the goal of establishing a self-sustaining, permanent base on Mars," said Musk at the conference, in this Space.com article. "And I think we're making some progress in that direction - not as fast as I'd like."

He believes that the next-generation rocket that will help humans reach Mars will be perfect for adventurous people - those with $500,000 to afford a seat aboard the rocket. Although it seems expensive, it's actually not as bad as the $70 million that the U.S. pays Russia to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. The only problem is that the $500,000 price tag is for a one-way ticket. The technology does not yet exist to bring humans back from Mars.

The Mars missions are currently set for the 2030s, and Musk is eager to work hard until that date comes. With every new discovery and testing of his company's rockets, spacecraft, engines, technology, etc., he believes major achievements will be made in attaining the ultimate goal that is traveling to and settling on Mars.

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is currently responsible for transporting cargo to and from the ISS, and by 2017 SpaceX hopes it will be granted permission to transport astronauts to and from the base. This same spacecraft, pending further developments, will also hopefully be able to transports astronauts to Mars, as seen in this illustration on the Discovery News website.