"We will move humanity to Mars and make it a colony of Earth."
In early 2001, Elon Musk attended a fundraising event for the Mars Society, a nonprofit focused on space exploration. He donated $100,000 and joined the board. At that time, Musk had a modest dream of building a small greenhouse on Mars. That fall, he traveled to Russia to purchase decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to secure a launch vehicle.
After negotiations with Russia fell through, Musk resolved to build his own rockets, leading to the founding of SpaceX. This marked the beginning of his vision for the "migration of Earthlings to Mars and the establishment of a multi-planetary species."
Musk was once labeled a "great dreamer" and a "fraud," with some viewing his ambitions as unrealistic. However, 24 years later, his trajectory suggests otherwise.
To fund the astronomical costs of reaching Mars, Musk founded Tesla, focusing on autonomous driving technology. He also established Tesla Energy to secure energy for the era of space manufacturing. This initiative includes the development of "Gigafactories," aiming for fully automated manufacturing facilities without human intervention. SpaceX has developed reusable launch vehicles and is also working on humanoid robots capable of performing tasks like humans.
On the evening of June 23, Korean time, SpaceX successfully tested its unmanned re-entry capsule, "Starfall," designed to deliver goods manufactured in space back to Earth. This vision of establishing advanced manufacturing facilities in space is becoming clearer. Utilizing solar energy and achieving extreme efficiency without biological intervention, SpaceX aims to produce high-value space-manufactured products that generate revenue and drive technological innovation.
Musk's entire trajectory is directed toward the monumental goal of "Mars colonization." At this point, the idea of conquering Mars is no longer a fantasy. Since Musk first mentioned Mars colonization, he has not wasted a single year, and his dream is now becoming a reality.
The success of the Starfall launch signifies the realization of the "space manufacturing" era. In the past, both the public and some sectors of academia and industry have questioned, "Why spend enormous amounts of money to manufacture items in space?"
However, the emergence of a new material known as "ZBLAN," often referred to as the next-generation optical fiber cable, has drawn attention to space manufacturing. ZBLAN, made by mixing five fluorides including zirconium and barium, theoretically offers signal transmission efficiency that is 10 to 100 times better than existing optical fibers.
The challenge is that ZBLAN cannot be manufactured on Earth due to micro-convection caused by gravity, which forms atomic-level defects that block light. Manufacturing it in space, free from gravitational interference, allows for the creation of glass crystals with nearly zero defects. Experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) have successfully produced commercially viable ZBLAN.
Applying ZBLAN to undersea cables crossing the Atlantic would eliminate the need for expensive repeaters that compensate for light loss. Its applications extend beyond telecommunications to military lasers and medical equipment. The challenge remains in transporting it back to Earth, a path that SpaceX is paving.
While the technology to establish manufacturing facilities in space is enticing, Elon Musk's dream of "Mars exploration" is even more admirable. What our companies need now is the "spirit of challenge that sells dreams." It is time to set goals that will mark a significant chapter in human history and to pursue disruptive innovation that creates new technologies and opens up markets in the process.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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