A renowned astronomer has expressed skepticism regarding Elon Musk’s goal of colonizing Mars, questioning the viability of SpaceX’s ambitious venture.
Mr. Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has publicly shared his vision of transporting a population of 1 million people to the Red Planet by 2050.
Martin Rees, an astrophysicist named Astronomer Royal by the Royal Households of the U.K., recently criticized the plans laid out by SpaceX, spurring dialogue on the challenges of interplanetary resettlement and space exploration.
“I don’t think it’s realistic, and we’ve got to solve those problems here on Earth,” he told the House of Lords’ podcast, “Lord Speaker’s Corner.” “Dealing with climate change on Earth is a doddle compared to making Mars habitable. So I don’t think we should hold that out as a long-term aim at all.”
He added, “I think there might be a few crazy pioneers living on Mars, just like there are people living at the South Pole, although it’s far less hospitable than the South Pole. But the idea of mass migration to avoid the Earth’s problems, which [Mr. Musk] and a few other space enthusiasts adopt, that, I think, is a dangerous illusion.”
Mr. Rees noted that “only people who really have a high appetite for risk should be going into space, and they should be privately funded, not by the rest of us.”
His comments come after former President Barack Obama voiced similar concerns.
Speaking at a renewable energy conference in Paris, Mr. Obama said, “When I hear some of the people talk about the plan to colonize Mars because the [Earth’s] environment may become so degraded that it becomes unlivable, I look at them like, what are you talking about? I would rather us invest in taking care of this planet here.”
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