The Mars One website lists SpaceX as a supplier for their launch vehicle and that they did receive a "letter of interest" from them along other suppliers. Mars One cofounder Bas Lansdorp has visited SpaceX, but they have been very quiet about their relationship with Mars One. With Elon Musk's goal of Mars colonization it appears that the two organizations do have similar interests, but is the relationship possibly competitive? Will SpaceX publicly support Mars One? If so, what milestones, if any are they waiting for from Mars One to make such a statement?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
2
-
$\begingroup$ They have no relationship. Elon Musk has said this. Verbatim, he said they would be happy to provide their launch services to Mars One if Mars One can foot the bill, but so far as he's aware they have no funding. Moreover, Mars One has always had pretty marketing pictures showing them colonizing Mars with Dragon and Falcon 9. If they knew anything about SpaceX, they would know this was never the plan and was not feasible from day 1. The working relationship Mars One has alluded to does not and never will exist. $\endgroup$– temporary_user_nameCommented May 26, 2016 at 17:40
-
$\begingroup$ astronaut sez: youtu.be/KOVOEfszIbE?t=161 $\endgroup$– uhohCommented Feb 2, 2020 at 13:57
Add a comment
|
3 Answers
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
The cooperation between Mars One and SpaceX will become serious after they sign a binding contract of some sort. Until this is the case, their relationship will be very loose and will not force any party to do anything by any date. So far there is no such contract signed between the 2 parties.
Basically, SpaceX won't be doing anything, until Mars One makes an obligatory order for a launcher or some other hardware.
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
Mars One's schedule, budget, business idea (live TV reality show from Mars?) and some of their technical proposals are unworkable. But they have been extremely effective in marketing! They have indeed already created popular support for missions to Mars. If they focus on their (Earthbound) marketing skills, they might in that respect very well become a part of real Mars missions designed and financed by others. SpaceX (and even NASA) could gain by cooperating with them.
answered Nov 25, 2014 at 12:08
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
2
Mars One has said multiple times that they have no intent of building their own launch hardware; as such, there's no way they could be "competitors" to SpaceX... at least, not directly.
-
1$\begingroup$ The question is whether SpaceX's plans to go to Mars would "compete" with MarsOne's plans to go to Mars $\endgroup$ Commented Jan 11, 2015 at 2:45
-
$\begingroup$ @raptortech97 - I think the point is that there's no competition. If desire and intent is all that separates the two, then SpaceX will win, as MarsOne simply doesn't have the means. $\endgroup$– JᴀʏMᴇᴇCommented Mar 13, 2015 at 16:31