Elon Musk is offering to donate his sperm to help colonize Mars as SpaceX ramps up efforts to achieve interplanetary travel.
According to a report in The New York Times, Musk has instructed SpaceX teams to start designing a Martian city, complete with dome habitats and protective spacesuits. Medical experts are also investigating the feasibility of reproduction on Mars.
Musk, who envisions creating a new human civilization on the red planet, reportedly plans to contribute genetically to the colony using his own sperm.
“There’s high urgency to making life multi-planetary,” he said, according to The Times. “We’ve got to do it while civilization is so strong.”
Despite ambitious goals, the timeline remains uncertain. Musk previously estimated it could take anywhere from 40 to 100 years to establish a sustainable Martian society. However, he recently told employees he anticipates one million people living on Mars within two decades, affirming his personal commitment by stating his intention to die there.
To fund his Martian dreams, Musk continues to amass wealth, boasting a net worth of $262 billion and expecting a $47 billion pay package from Tesla this year.
The path to Mars is fraught with challenges. No human has set foot on the planet, and NASA’s projections suggest a human landing won’t occur until at least 2040. Mars’s inhospitable environment includes barren landscapes, freezing temperatures, and toxic air, necessitating innovative solutions for survival.
The Times reported that a majority of the companies Musk owns are involved in making his Mars vision come to life. The Boring Company could drill into Mars’s surface, while X, his social media platform, might aid in governance. Even Tesla could play a role with Mars-adapted vehicles resembling cyber trucks.
Despite enthusiasm, experts like aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin caution that landing one million people on Mars remains an immense logistical and technical challenge.
In the near term, SpaceX faces obligations to send a rocket to the moon under a $2.9 billion NASA contract. It’s not clear what the deadline is for that plan.
