Will humans walk on Mars by the 2030s?
![](https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_zIjejlUCR5oSebbgp05krnq9_DptDY-VnMsdhQ9Mr9U.jpg)
![A hand holding a looking glass by a lake](/uplink.jpg)
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:
Space
A visit to the Red Planet is no longer in the realm of science fiction. According to NASA, the space agency will take steps towards establishing a sustainable human presence beyond Earth over the next few decades – and not just to visit, but to stay.
A recent NASA report lays out a detailed plan as to how the agency might reach Mars in the near future. It is divided into three parts:
Phase 1: This involves further research on the International Space Station, focusing on the effects of living in space for long periods of time. It also involves further development of its most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).
Phase 2: Nasa wants to perform a variety of tasks in cislunar space, which is the area around the moon. This involves the Asteroid Redirect Mission, which sends a solar-electric robotic probe to an asteroid, retrieving a large chunk of it and transporting it to the cislunar orbit. NASA is aiming to transport astronauts to study the boulder-sized object in the cislunar orbit by 2025.
Phase 3: The final phase would be to send astronauts to orbit Mars, possibly first landing on one of its moons, Phobos or Deimos. The final and most challenging task is to land human beings on the surface of Mars, along with the proper equipment to get them safely back to Earth.
How long would it take humans to reach Mars?
The minimum distance from Earth to the Red Planet is approximately 54.6 million kilometres. With today’s technology, it would take at least 150 days to get there.
Click on this interactive infographic for a clear idea of how long it would take us to get there if the Earth were 100 pixels (12,756km) wide and we were travelling at three times the speed of light.
Have you read?
How to power human colonies on Mars
How big data from space helps life on Earth
Why Mars is the next step for humanity
Author: José Santiago is a senior associate, Public Engagement, World Economic Forum
Image: Members of Crew 125 EuroMoonMars B mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on Emerging TechnologiesSee all
Agustina Callegari
August 12, 2024
Sebastian Buckup
August 12, 2024
Adrian Kuenzler and Dylan Reim
August 6, 2024
Jo Adetunji
July 31, 2024
Ahmed Mazhari
July 31, 2024
David Elliott
July 29, 2024