&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "When will humans land on Mars? The Martian bet on 2035. With 10 years left, how far are we from it becoming a reality?")
When fiction meets reality, it makes for an interesting concoction. Especially when it involves science fiction. Several films have portrayed humans going to other planets, exploring the unknown. The 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, had astronauts and a supercomputer visiting Jupiter. But humans are still not even close to going to Jupiter.
Then we had the Back To The Future series showing a time machine built from a modified DeLorean.
In 2015, The Martian was released, which showed that humans had landed on Mars thrice by the year 2035. However, that seems like a far-fetched reality right now. Once again, reality is not even close to what writers imagined in books and films.
Musk has grand plans for Mars and humans
Mars is on the radar of NASA, including Elon Musk, a billionaire who is at the forefront of working to land humans on the red planet. He dreams of sending people to Mars in the next five years. His ambitious plans centre around the idea that Earth will soon become unlivable for humans, and Mars is the best bet for survival.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
The SpaceX CEO says Mars is a "life insurance" for humanity. Talking to Fox News, Musk said, "All life on Earth will be destroyed by the sun. The sun is gradually expanding, and so we do at some point need to be a multi-planet civilisation because Earth will be incinerated."
Musk's company has made Starship, a mammoth rocket which he hopes will ultimately fulfil his desire. Musk wants to build a self-sustaining city on the Red Planet. His vision includes a society on Mars that can survive and grow even if "the resupply ships from Earth stop coming for any reason, whether that is because civilisation died with a bang or a whimper."
NASA funding cut
However, will that dream ever become a reality is hard to tell. In fact, after Trump took over as President of the United States this year, the NASA budget has been cut. This has directly affected the Artemis mission, which aims to land humans on the Moon first. However, that looks to be in a jeopardy now.
With a trip to the moon looking bleak, Mars has moved even farther away from us. Scientists planned to use the Moon as a stepping stone for Mars. They plan to build a base on the moon from which humans would be able to move to Mars.
What continues to work are the probes NASA and other space agencies have sent to Mars. Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers are making stunning discoveries on the red planet, finding sulfur-filled stones, rocks with strange patterns, proof of a water world billions of years ago, and more.
However, looking at the current state of affairs, it doesn't seem like humans will land on Mars by 2035. Matt Damon might have grown potatoes on Mars, but for now, it continues to remain barren, and probably will for several more years.
