---
title: "NASA: We’re Not Competing Against SpaceX in a Race to Mars"
description: "SpaceX plans to get to Mars by 2025, while NASA's plan doesn't put them on the Red Planet until 2030. Despite this, NASA doesn't see the race to Mars as a competition with Elon Musk's company – instead, they'd \"throw him a party\" if he got Mars samples first."
date: "2016-11-04"
modified: "2016-11-29"
authors:
  - name: "Jess Vilvestre"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jessvilvestre"
url: "https://futurism.com/nasa-were-not-competing-against-spacex-in-a-race-to-mars"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "SpaceX"
---

# NASA: We’re Not Competing Against SpaceX in a Race to Mars

![nasa spacex mars](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/A-SpaceX.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: SpaceX\</em\>*

## Space Race?

Humans have been dreaming of going to Mars for [at least the last 70 years](<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151111-mars-mission-fail-history-astronaut-science/>), and we've waited with bated breath for the first flight to launch. Now that ambitious plans to send humans to Mars have been drawn by [Elon Musk](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-mars-colony-all-his-key-points-from-todays-announcement>) and [NASA](<https://futurism.com/were-heading-to-mars-nasas-insight-lander-set-to-launch-in-2018>), it's looking like a race to the finish line on some far off red rock.

Just because it's a race, though, doesn't mean the competitors are rivals. It's actually quite the opposite.

"If Elon Musk brought the samples in the door right now I'd throw him a party out of my own money," Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's newly named associate administrator for science, told reporters [from *Seeker*](<http://www.seeker.com/nasa-spacex-mars-sample-return-mission-science-chief-2073165432.html>).

Zurburchen pointed out the importance of tackling issues with patience for those in opposition of his own stand. "It's really important to create, bring some empathy to the table," [he said](<http://www.seeker.com/nasa-spacex-mars-sample-return-mission-science-chief-2073165432.html>). "There's a lot of stuff that can be learned by just talking to people."

![NASA](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/mars_astrobiology.jpg>)
*NASA*

## Out-of-this-World Tech

Technology is pushing these space agencies to finally turn science fiction into the breakthrough mission of the century, and we're looking at a flurry of advancements —[rockets of record-breaking size](<https://futurism.com/nasa-is-building-our-rocket-to-mars-and-its-the-biggest-one-ever>), and [self-sustaining cities](<https://futurism.com/watch-spacexs-remarkable-vision-of-humanitys-colonization-of-mars>) on interplanetary transportation, to name a few—that may soon get us to Mars.

[NASA's journey](<http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-releases-plan-outlining-next-steps-in-the-journey-to-mars>) to get humans to Mars sometime in the [2030s](<http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasas-journey-to-mars>) is divided into three phases: Earth Reliant, Proving Ground, and Earth Independent—taking us from intensive research aboard the [International Space Station](<https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html>) to complex operations in multiple staging orbits for deep-space simulations, and finally missions and home-building on Mars.

SpaceX has been more forward with its steps to make Mars a permanent human settlement, and aims to land [by 2025](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-mars-colony-all-his-key-points-from-todays-announcement>).

The agencies [have partnered](<https://futurism.com/spacex-is-partnering-with-nasa-for-a-2018-mars-mission>) for a 2018 Mars mission that will see testing of systems as a precursor to manned explorations. Partnerships like these show what a future for humans on Mars will be—a breakthrough for all of mankind, not just of the competitive few.

## Author
Chemical Engineering student from Manila and food enthusiast

### Author social links  
[Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/jessvilvestre>)