Former NASA Astronaut Predicts Mars Travel Still 15 Years Away: 'Not 5 Years As Elon Musk Alludes To'

Former NASA astronaut José Hernández stated on Monday that human travel to Mars is far away.

What Happened: During an interview with The Hill, Hernández said travel to Mars is still “a good 15 years away,".

Hernández emphasized that space travel is complex and requires significant advancements, particularly in developing and testing technologies on a lunar base. He highlighted that the current technical challenges are too significant to overcome in the near term.

Hernández noted that the International Space Station will be retired, and its operational funds should be redirected to lunar base development. This approach would help address the technical hurdles that currently stand in the way of Mars exploration.

SEE ALSO: NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams And Butch Willmore Head Back To Earth On SpaceX Dragon Capsule

His remarks came just before astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were scheduled to return to Earth after a nine-month mission on the International Space Station.

On Sunday, NASA announced that it had coordinated with SpaceX, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, to plan for the astronauts’ return to Earth, aiming for a Tuesday splashdown off Florida’s coast, contingent on favorable weather conditions.

Why It Matters: The timeline for human exploration of Mars has been a topic of debate, with differing opinions on when it might be feasible. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has been vocal about his ambitious plans to send humans to Mars. In March 2025, Musk suggested that SpaceX’s Starship could carry Tesla Inc. TSLA Optimus robots to Mars by 2026, with human landings potentially starting by 2029, though 2031 seems more likely.

Additionally, Musk has indicated that making Mars self-sustaining could take up to half a century, requiring multiple Earth-Mars transfer windows. He has also called for the deorbiting of the International Space Station ahead of schedule to focus efforts on Mars colonization.

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