Martian dream vs reality

The road to Mars is long and arduous. But with the visionary drive of Elon Musk, we might find ourselves among the stars one day

Elon Musk has unveiled an audacious vision: A million-strong Martian metropolis. For his SpaceX team, it’s a heady mix of sci-fi fantasy (think spacesuits, domed habitats, the prospects of an interplanetary baby boom, and zipping around in Tesla Cybertrucks on a new world) and logistical nightmare. The American entrepreneur’s grand blueprint has reignited the question: Can we really colonise Mars?

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometres above Earth, a different narrative has unfolded. Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are stranded aboard the International Space Station, after a malfunction in their cutting-edge Boeing Starliner. Their prolonged stay serves as a