We can beat SpaceX to Mars – Boeing

SpaceX has made a few big Mars-related announcements, but at least one firm believes it can beat Elon Musk’s company to the Red Planet.

Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of Boeing, told a conference (h/t: ScienceAlert) that he believes the first humans on Mars will get there using Boeing’s spaceships.

“I’m convinced that the first person to step foot on Mars will arrive there riding on a Boeing rocket,” Muilenburg was quoted as saying.

Boeing thinks it can beat SpaceX to the Mars punch

It wouldn’t be the first time that the aerospace colossus got involved in space matters either, building key parts for the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon.

Boeing is also working on the Space Launch System and CST-100 manned space capsule, both of which are slated for Martian and deep space missions. The SLS is scheduled to undergo its first test flight in 2018.

Boeing will have stiff competition from SpaceX though, as the private firm recently revealed its radical Interplanetary Transport System. This was in addition to its manned Dragon V2 space capsule.

The SpaceX system is extremely ambitious compared to Boeing’s seemingly brute-force approach. The private firm will make heavy use of reusable designs, as well as in-orbit refuelling. Additionally, SpaceX expects astronauts to create their own fuel from Martian resources for the return journey.