By AFP
June 6, 2025
This handout photo from NASA shows images from NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover at its new home in Jezero Crater on February 21, 2021, after touching down on the planet several days earlier - Copyright AFP -
Issam AHMED
A crewed mission to Mars would rank among the most complex and costly undertakings in human history — and US President Donald Trump has vowed to make it a national priority.
That political momentum, coupled with SpaceX chief Elon Musk’s zeal, has breathed new life into a cause long championed by Red Planet advocates — even as major obstacles remain, including Trump and Musk’s latest feud.
– Why go? –
As NASA writes in its Moon to Mars blueprint, “exploration of the cosmos remains a great calling for humanity.”
A mission to Mars would pursue scientific objectives like determining whether Mars ever hosted life and charting the evolution of its surface, as well as answering broader space physics questions — such as the history of the Sun through studying Martian soil.
Geopolitics also looms large, as Trump has pledged to “plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond,” invoking the “unlimited promise of the American dream.”
Critics, however, say cuts to NASA’s science budget and the cancellation of key projects — including the return of rock samples collected by the Perseverance rover — are undermining the research mission.
“The purpose of exploration is not just to go somewhere,” Nobel-winning astrophysicist John Mather told AFP. “This is not a tourist thing. This is a fundamental knowledge thing.”
– Getting there –
Musk is betting SpaceX’s future on Starship, the largest rocket ever built, despite fiery failures in its nine test flights.
He’s aiming for an uncrewed launch by late 2026, timed with the next favorable Earth-Mars alignment.
But the timeline is widely seen as optimistic: Starship has yet to land its upper stage or demonstrate in-orbit refueling — both essential for deep space travel.
Some experts believe the system is fundamentally sound, while others say it’s too soon to judge.
“A lot of the pertinent and relevant technical information… is not known to us,” Kurt Polzin, chief engineer for NASA’s space nuclear propulsion project, told AFP.
He backs Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP), which uses fission to heat hydrogen and generate thrust.
NTP delivers “a lot of power in a very small package,” Polzin said, eliminating the need for orbital refueling or fuel production on Mars.
Astronauts would spend seven to nine months in a cramped spacecraft, exposed to intense space radiation beyond Earth’s magnetosphere.
Ideas to improve radiation shielding range from passive methods, like using dense materials, to active concepts such as plasma fields that deflect radiation, while drugs are being developed to reduce cell damage.
Without a system to simulate gravity — such as rotational spin — crews would also need grueling exercise routines to counteract muscle and bone loss.
Mental health is another concern. Growing plants aboard — more for morale than sustenance — has proved beneficial on the ISS.
Communication delays further complicate matters.
On the station, real-time data has helped prevent an average of 1.7 potentially fatal incidents per year, said Erik Antonsen, chair of NASA’s human systems risk board — but such communication will not be possible en route to Mars.
– Life on Mars –
Once on the surface, the uncertainties grow.
Probes and rovers have found hints — organic molecules, seasonal methane — but no definitive signs of life. If it ever existed, it likely died out long ago.
Still, Earth’s own “extremophiles” offer intriguing clues — from fungi that harness Chernobyl’s radiation for energy, to microbes that survived 500,000 years in frozen stasis.
“If they can survive here in extreme environments, we have every reason to suspect they can be on Mars,” said NASA astrobiologist Jennifer Eigenbrode at the recent Humans to the Moon and Mars Summit.
And while NASA has decided nuclear fission will power surface operations, other choices — from crop selection to habitat design — remain open.
“Mars has a 24-hour, 39-minute day — that small difference creates strain, increases stress, and reduces sleep quality,” said Phnam Bagley, a space architect who designs for comfort and crew well-being — critical factors in preventing conflict.
The first trip would be around 500 days on the surface, but long-term colonization raises deeper questions.
For instance, scientists don’t yet know whether mammalian embryos can develop in low gravity — or what childbirth on Mars would entail.
“I think it’s really important to take that seriously,” said NASA’s Antonsen.
“Even if you don’t plan on it happening, people are still going to have sex, and somebody might get pregnant. Then it becomes a medical issue.”
Low-Earth Orbit Networks Meet Maritime’s Growing Connectivity Demands
The global maritime industry faces a range of challenges highlighted by global trade uncertainties, geopolitical threats, and the always-evolving complex web of environmental and governmental regulations. These most recent challenges arrive as commercial shipping fleet owners are already navigating crippling labor shortages, aging fleets, and unrelenting demand driven by an 800% increase in e-commerce activity since 2010. Enterprise fishing fleets are dealing with their own set of challenges, including declining fish stocks, market volatility, and climate change.
Across all segments of the maritime industry, fleet owners and operators have embraced digitization to combat, manage, and overcome some of these challenges. With increased frequency, fleet owners have modernized operations and deployed a range of industry-specific and mission-critical digital applications that help to optimize operations, improve safety, ensure compliance with regulations, and offer a safe and positive working environment for crews.
However, the effectiveness of these applications and the ability of ship owners to reap the benefits of digitization are largely dependent on the presence of high-quality, robust connectivity.
Fleet owners have long relied on traditional satellite technology for safety and basic communications at sea. Geostationary (GEO) satellites, for example, have always provided consistent and reliable maritime connectivity. However, the limitations of traditional GEO satellite networks alone, including high latency and lack of coverage in polar regions, pose challenges for the evolving digitalization needs of commercial maritime industries.
As merchant shipping and enterprise fishing owners continue to modernize operations, their connectivity needs have become more complex, pronounced, and critical. Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite solutions have emerged to deliver globally available, consistent, high-speed coverage that meets the demands of a data-driven maritime landscape.
Intelsat’s Director of Maritime Products, Mike McNally, explains why LEO satellite networks are ideally suited for the maritime industry and why fleet owners should consider LEO solutions as they continue to digitize operations.
“LEO offers a range of benefits for merchant shipping and enterprise fishing operations that can extend and amplify communications and information sharing capabilities during a voyage,” said McNally. “The proximity of LEO satellites to the Earth results in much lower latency and higher speeds that are ideal for applications like telemedicine, remote monitoring, video conferencing, or any emergency response situations where there can be no delays in the transmission of data.”
LEO-powered solutions enable ship owners and operators to improve voyage planning, routing, and monitoring of the performance of ships and the status of cargo in real time. Fishing crews can use LEO connectivity to enhance catch reporting processes, stream detailed weather updates, receive alerts, and communicate with ports, regulators, and suppliers. These are some of the additional ways LEO satellite networks can greatly benefit both commercial shipping and enterprise fishing fleets:
Modern Connectivity for Aging Vessels
The maritime industry has a problem with aging ships. Nearly half of all vessels are expected to be at least 21 years old by 2030. Aging ships are at a higher risk for mechanical breakdowns that result in costly repairs and revenue losses from downtime. They also pose greater safety and environmental risks, as they operate in a less fuel-efficient manner and can be more prone to accidents. LEO-powered satellite solutions offer fleet owners real-time visibility into the performance of vessels during voyages, transmitting reams of data collected from onboard sensors that can be analyzed to predict when maintenance might be needed. In this way, LEO solutions help ship owners identify and preemptively address a minor issue before it becomes a major one, keeping more ships in operation for longer periods of time.
Attracting the Next Generation of Connected Seafarers
Faced with an aging and dwindling workforce, merchant shipping and fishing fleet owners are desperately attempting to recruit the next generation of seafarers. These younger workers will not tolerate being cut off from their digital lives or disconnected from friends and family back home. Therefore, the success of any recruitment effort requires fleet owners to offer high-quality connectivity that enables access to personal connected devices, social media, live TV, and entertainment while on board. LEO networks provide the bandwidth and low latency necessary to deliver uninterrupted access to digital communications, no matter where in the world a ship makes its voyage, making maritime careers more appealing to a younger, tech-savvy, and connected generation.
Enhancing Safety and Security at Sea
Geopolitical hostility, terrorism and military activity, extreme weather events, and piracy are just a few of the safety and security concerns merchant shipping and enterprise fishing fleet crews face at sea. On land, cybercriminals are hard at work attempting to steal sensitive information and wreak havoc at the ports. Whether navigating through piracy-prone waters or guarding against cyber intrusions, reliable LEO connectivity plays a pivotal role in protecting assets and lives. LEO satellite solutions allow fleet owners to more effectively monitor safety threats and respond with greater speed. By delivering always-on connectivity that allows for real-time threat monitoring and rapid response to emergencies, LEO solutions enhance crew safety and minimize revenue loss that can result from safety incursions.
Intelsat and OneWeb: A Unified Approach to Maritime Connectivity
As the maritime industry continues to digitize, Intelsat’s FlexMaritime LEO delivers the robust, ubiquitous, reliable connectivity fleet owners need to navigate an increasingly complex and competitive global maritime landscape.
FlexMaritime LEO combines the high speeds and low latency connectivity of Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO network with Intelsat’s managed services and support to deliver a complete and unparalleled maritime connectivity solution for maritime operations.
With Intelsat’s FlexMaritime LEO, ship operators gain access to robust network coverage, ultra-high-speed download connections of up to 100 Mbps, and upload speeds of up to 10 Mbps even in the busiest shipping zones. Ultra-low latency performance of ~70 milliseconds enables faster application response times for sensitive applications. As a managed service, FlexMaritime LEO is backed and supported by Intelsat's 60-plus years of experience providing satellite and connectivity solutions to ships at sea.
This article is sponsored by Intelsat. For more information visit intelsat.com/maritime.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
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