March 15, 2025 (EIRNS)—In his X account, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev proposed to Elon Musk to send a joint mission of Russia and the United States to Mars in 2029. “Our minds and technology must serve the glory of humanity, not its destruction,” he wrote. He remarked that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, when the crews from the United States and the Soviet Union carried out the first manned joint international space mission.
Elon Musk has claimed that he would send Starship with a humanoid robot to Mars in 2026. If the ship lands successfully, then landing humans on Mars could become possible by 2029, although it is “more likely” that it will happen in 2031, Musk said. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has also spoken out in favor of working with Musk.
The practical realization ,however, remains somewhat in doubt, given the condition of the U.S. space program. We have yet to see what effect the cuts in the NASA budget will have on the space program. The Mars program announced by Musk is also based on chemical propulsion, which would make travel to Mars very long. Russian advances in plasma engines could change the whole nature of space travel, however, so that such cooperation could be a significant advantage. U.S. President Donald Trump has also indicated that space cooperation with Russia, which has remained intact, would be an important area of cooperation as the relationship is fully reestablished.
