WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States plans to complete a manned flight to Mars’ orbit by 2028, five years earlier than officials have previously stated, Lockheed Martin Corp. Vice President Wanda Sigur said at the Humans to Mars conference in Washington, DC on Wednesday.
"Well, 2028, it’s humans in the Mars orbit," Sigur said during a panel discussion. "So it’s not ‘boots on Mars,’ but I do think that that window — ten years or so — feels like we’re leaning forward [and] taking advantage of the test objectives we’ve laid out with NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration]."
President Barack Obama has previously said that the United States’ goal is to have humans in Mars orbit in the 2030s.
Last month, NASA’s Mars Exploration Program solicited requests from the private sector to aid in its long-term goal of sending humans to the red planet.
The US space agency has said that the effort will require preparation by robotic spacecraft, including a vehicle that is to land on the planet in 2018.
