Musk on Mars: Is colonising the Red Planet realistic - or an excuse to ignore Earth's existential issues?

With a friend in the White House, the tech billionaire's extraterrestrial ambitions are ready for lift-off - but not everybody is convinced

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk has found a new ally in his bid to conquer space in US President Donald Trump. Reuters

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, has often spoken about his ambitious vision to colonise Mars as a back-up plan for Earth. His vision has found a new ally in Donald Trump, whose second-term presidency is expected to focus heavily on space exploration.

During his inauguration speech this week, Mr Trump made a bold commitment to planting an American flag on Mars, a declaration that drew cheers from Mr Musk, who smiled broadly and flashed two thumbs-ups to the camera.

Mr Musk, who is also the owner of social media platform X and chief executive of Tesla, wants to send a million people to the Red Planet in future using a fleet of Starship rockets that SpaceX is developing.

The deepened focus on Mars raises the question: Is Mr Musk’s vision a realistic solution to humanity's problems, or is it an escape from the urgent challenges faced on Earth?

Mars as a backup plan

Dr Gordon Osinski, planetary geologist at the Western University in Ontario and the principal investigator of the Canadian Lunar Rover Mission, has a more Earth-centric opinion.

"My personal view is that Elon Musk’s goals to colonise Mars as a back-up plan for humanity’s survival is disturbing," Dr Osinski told The National. "The two biggest challenges that could threaten our existence on this planet are irreversible climate change and an asteroid impact.

"We are already witnessing the devastating consequences of the former, but addressing climate change is entirely do-able if the governments and corporations of the world put the planet first, before politics and profits."

He said that in the long-term an asteroid impact is "entirely possible" and that humanity should invest in detection and prevention, but he does not see a scenario where an asteroid impact makes the planet uninhabitable.

"I also think a really unfortunate consequence of this talk of colonisation is that it really detracts from the main reasons we want to explore our Solar System, which is to learn more about who we are and where we came from, to inspire the next generation and to provide a positive reason or reasons for countries across the world to work together," said Dr Osinski.

Mars as a testbed for innovation

Dimitra Atri, an astrophysicist at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), told The National that Mars exploration is not just about building a new home for humanity, but also about advancing technology that can address critical issues on Earth.

"For example, innovations in closed-loop life-support systems, water purification and renewable energy sources designed for Mars can enhance sustainable practices on Earth," said Dr Atri, who is also the group leader of the Mars Research Group at the NYUAD's Centre for Astrophysics and Space Science.

And even though building a human city on Mars can drive innovation on Earth, he said it is not the immediate solution that humans need and that describing Mars as a "backup plan" needs to be "critically evaluated".

He believes that ethically, humanity's survival must rely on taking care of the home planet, with "Mars exploration representing human ingenuity rather than a diversion of responsibility".

"While establishing a human presence on Mars can provide scientific insights and a potential safeguard against existential risks, it is not an immediate or complete solution to the challenges facing humanity," said Dr Atri.

"Investments in Mars exploration will lead to technological innovation that can simultaneously address Earth’s issues, such as sustainable energy and resource management. However, these efforts should complement, not detract from, urgently addressing systemic problems like climate change, inequality and ecological degradation."

Red planet is hostile

And even if Mr Musk eventually manages to send people to Mars, the planet will not be so welcoming. The Red Planet is hostile to humans due to its thin atmosphere, freezing temperatures, high radiation levels and lack of breathable oxygen.

Dr Atri said several technologies would need to be developed for a Mars colony, including long-term radiation shielding, autonomous and robust life-support systems, extraction and use of resources found on the planet and addressing the psychological and physiological challenges of human habitation on another planet. He said that developing these technologies could also help with innovation on Earth.

"While the investments are significant at the moment, they will likely yield transformative advancements with broad applications, from space exploration to Earth-based industries," he said. "These efforts not only address fundamental scientific questions but also generate technologies that improve energy efficiency, resource management and disaster resilience on Earth.

"I think the pursuit of Mars exploration is not in competition with solving terrestrial challenges but rather complements and accelerates progress on both fronts."

Space technologies and solutions on Earth

Investing in colonising Mars might come with a hefty price tag, but that does not mean humanity should stop investing in space technology altogether. Amar Vora, head of space at Serco Middle East, said innovations from space can make a real difference to life on Earth.

“Space exploration has long driven innovation on Earth, and its technologies offer immense potential to transform urban environments, particularly in regions like the GCC,” Mr Vora told The National. "For example, satellite monitoring enables real-time urban planning and resource allocation, helping to design and manage sustainable smart cities.”

The first close-up image of Mars captured by the UAE's Hope probe. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid / Twitter

He gave examples in the UAE, such as the use of satellite data for mangrove restoration and desert greening initiatives: "For urban environments, these tools help plan parks and green corridors to help improve air quality, support with urban heat mapping and enhance biodiversity.

"Dubai’s Desert Greening initiatives, which incorporate satellite data to track soil quality and reforestation progress, provide another key example of how this technology is being applied locally. They can also enable precise carbon sequestration monitoring, assessing the impact of such projects on reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide."