Musk urges astronauts to lead Mars investigation
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has called for astronauts to be sent to Mars to investigate a peculiar square structure observed on the planet’s surface that has recently generated much public discussion.
On Friday, Musk responded to a post on X by podcast host Joe Rogan, who shared images from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor showing a square-like formation on Mars. “We should send astronauts to Mars to investigate!” the US-based billionaire wrote.
The photo was captured back in November 2001 but has recently gone viral on social media. The square formation has sparked discussions about its origin, with some speculating about it being artificial in nature.
We should send astronauts to Mars to investigate!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 1, 2025
However, similar formations have been observed on Mars before. For example, the “Face on Mars” in the Cydonia region, initially thought to be artificial, was later shown through higher-resolution imaging to be a natural landform.
Such interest in anomalies on the Martian surface aligns with Musk’s long-standing ambition to colonize the planet. He has previously emphasized the importance of making life multiplanetary, stating that becoming a spacefaring civilization is essential for the future of humanity.
SpaceX has been actively developing its Starship spacecraft, which is designed to carry both crew and cargo to far-flung destinations including Mars.
In December, Musk set a potential timeline for his company’s space missions to the Red Planet. “Uncrewed Starships landing on Mars in 2 years, perhaps with crewed versions passing near Mars, and crewed Starships heading there in 4 years are all possible,” he wrote on X.
He has also stated that he would want to see “direct, rather than representative, democracy” on Mars if it’s ever settled by humans.
He has previously outlined plans to send a million people to Mars by 2050 using a fleet of Starships.
US President Donald Trump announced in his inaugural address plans to send American astronauts to Mars, stating: “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”
