[null, null, {"document_url": "https://www.dw.com/en/bringing-life-to-the-red-planet-obama-plans-to-send-astronauts-to-mars-by-the-2030s/a-36017307", "unformatted_src": "/image/35883319_303.jpg", "src": "https://www.dw.com/image/35883319_303.jpg", "alt_text": "Barack Obama Er\u00f6ffnung National Museum of African American (picture-alliance/dpa/M.B.Ceneta)"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.dw.com/en/bringing-life-to-the-red-planet-obama-plans-to-send-astronauts-to-mars-by-the-2030s/a-36017307", "unformatted_src": "/image/39614792_301.jpg", "src": "https://www.dw.com/image/39614792_301.jpg", "alt_text": "China Raumfahrtprojekt Lunar Palace 365 an der BUAA Universit\u00e4t in Beijing", "rendered_width": 220, "rendered_height": 124}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.dw.com/en/bringing-life-to-the-red-planet-obama-plans-to-send-astronauts-to-mars-by-the-2030s/a-36017307", "unformatted_src": "/image/45633521_301.jpg", "src": "https://www.dw.com/image/45633521_301.jpg", "alt_text": "Esa-Astronaut Matthias Maurer", "rendered_width": 220, "rendered_height": 124}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.dw.com/en/bringing-life-to-the-red-planet-obama-plans-to-send-astronauts-to-mars-by-the-2030s/a-36017307", "unformatted_src": "/image/44951575_301.jpg", "src": "https://www.dw.com/image/44951575_301.jpg", "alt_text": "USA Texas - NASA stellt Astronauten f\u00fcr neues Kommerzielles Raumfahrtprojekt", "rendered_width": 220, "rendered_height": 124}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://www.dw.com/en/bringing-life-to-the-red-planet-obama-plans-to-send-astronauts-to-mars-by-the-2030s/a-36017307", "unformatted_src": "/image/41525323_301.jpg", "src": "https://www.dw.com/image/41525323_301.jpg", "alt_text": "Facebook Offizielles Logo"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.dw.com/en/bringing-life-to-the-red-planet-obama-plans-to-send-astronauts-to-mars-by-the-2030s/a-36017307", "unformatted_src": "/image/41525319_301.jpg", "src": "https://www.dw.com/image/41525319_301.jpg", "alt_text": "Twitter Offizielles Logo"}, null]
Bringing life to the Red Planet - Obama plans to send astronauts to Mars by the 2030s | News | DW | 11.10.2016 

In a CNN essay, the US President has vowed to send people to Mars in 14 years by partnering with private industry. Companies are reportedly working on building habitats to transport astronauts on deep space missions. The United States plans to work with private space travel companies in order to bring people to Mars, US President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday.

Since taking office eight years ago, Obama has said the US wants to send astronauts to the Red Planet, Earth's neighbor, by the 2030s. Tuesday's announcement denotes the country's first plans to include private companies in Washington's previously announced plan.

"I'm excited to announce that we are working with our commercial partners to build new habitats that can sustain and transport astronauts on long-duration missions in deep space," Obama wrote.

The hope is to evolve the habitats into spacecraft which would support human life for the long trip to Mars, wrote NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a NASA blog post on Tuesday. Bolden also said NASA has been working with six companies since 2014 to develop the technology.

In his essay, Obama said private space travel companies plan on sending astronauts for the first time to the International Space Station.

Bolden and Obama did not specify which companies NASA is partnered with. The California-based SpaceX company, headed by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, also intends to send people to Mars in the next few years.

SpaceX did not immediately comment on the president's remarks on Tuesday.

NASA is developing a powerful rocket known as the Space Launch System (SLS) and a deep space capsule, Orion, with the goal of eventually sending people to Earth's red neighbor.

The first SLS launch with no people on board is planned for 2018. Should it prove successful, a US mission to send humans into space beyond the Moon - but not all the way to Mars - is planned for the 2020s.

rs/jm (APF, Reuters)


NASA craft makes closest-ever swing by Jupiter

The Juno probe has completed its five-year journey to Jupiter. The craft will hopefully deliver answers about the planet's mysterious weather, poles and composition. (28.08.2016)

Elon Musk envisions Mars colony in 8 years' time

Entrepreneur and inventor Elon Musk has made his big pitch to start a human colony on Mars by 2024. (28.09.2016)

Scientists exit Hawaii dome after year-long Mars simulation

Experts living at the Hawaii Mars simulation dome have exited the structure where they lived in isolation for 365 days. The group lived on the Mauna Loa mountain and could go out only wearing spacesuits. (28.08.2016)

The ExoMars mission: Phase 1 begins

The goal of the ExoMars mission is to search for traces of life on Mars. The first phase of the mission will search for the best place to do so on the red planet. (11.03.2016)
 Sieren's China: Speaking Mandarin on Mars 19.10.2018 Europe's newest astronaut, Matthias Maurer: 'The trainers really push you to your limit' 25.09.2018

What does it mean to "graduate" from astronaut training? Matthias Maurer can tell you. The European astronaut of German descent also has some advice that might help failing students. NASA names astronauts for first commercial space flights 03.08.2018

Nine astronauts have been named to ride the SpaceX and Boeing capsules to the International Space Station. The commercial flights will be the first to carry people from the US since the end of the space shuttle program.

