At this morning?s International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, SpaceX founder and Lead Designer Elon Musk announced the most ambitious plans yet for the colonization of planets and satellites beyond Earth, including the establishment of a lunar base and a permanent Mars colony by 2022.

Courtesy of SpaceX

At this morning?s International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, SpaceX founder and Lead Designer Elon Musk announced the most ambitious plans yet for the colonization of planets and satellites beyond Earth, including the establishment of a lunar base and a permanent Mars colony by 2022.?The future is vastly more exciting and interesting if we?re a space-faring species than if we?re not,? said Musk during his keynote. ?It?s about believing in the future and thinking the future will be better than the past.?Supporting the creation of a permanent, self-sustaining human presence on Mars. https://t.co/kCtBLPbSg8 pic.twitter.com/ra6hKsrOcG— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 29, 2017 The timetable for implementation of the Mars colony is shockingly imminent: by 2022, a minimum of two cargo ships will land on the red planet, using robotics to begin setting up power, mining and life support infrastructure while confirming water resources and potential hazards. Just two years later in 2024, two ships will carry humans to the surface for the first time, who will build a propellant production plant and begin preparing the base for expansion.T...