Elon Musk has unveiled a new “Marslink” service that will connect planets to high-speed WiFi from Earth.
The SpaceX founder has presented the concept to Nasa at a Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group meeting, which is dedicated to supporting the space station’s mission on the Red Planet.
Nasa had asked commercial providers to submit proposals about how their projects could help them explore Mars.
One of the proposals given was for Marslink – an adaptation of Musk’s Starlink satellite network, which currently provides WiFi to over four million users.
Elon Musk unveils new ‘Marslink’ service to connect PLANETS with high speed wifi in major hope for Mars missions
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The new service would see multiple satellites orbit the planet, using laser communication from the existing Starlink service which would allow the planet to share data.
Musk’s concept is one of three ideas pitched to Nasa to develop “next-generation relay services” that can beam over 4Mpbs of data between the neighbouring planets.
It’s not the billionaire’s first foray into exploring the Red Planet.
In September, Musk said that SpaceX will land its Starship rocket on Mars in 2026. “These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars,” he said.
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In September, Musk said that SpaceX will land its Starship rocket on Mars in 2026
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Sources have said that now Donald Trump is returning to the White House, Musk’s dream of humans on Mars could happen sooner than thought.
It is expected under a Trump administration, Nasa’s Artemis program – which aims to put humans on the moon – will shift more towards a Mars focus.
Doug Loverro, a space industry consultant who once led NASA’s human exploration unit under Trump during his first presidency, said: “At a minimum, we’re going to get a more realistic Mars plan, you’ll see Mars being set as an objective.”
However, the sources conceded that plans could change as the new administration takes form over the next few weeks.
A Nasa spokeswoman said it “wouldn’t be appropriate to speculate on any changes with the new administration”.