On March 18 at 13:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion titled “Humanity’s Mars Project: A New Strategic Goal?”
By 2020, 48 expeditions had been launched to Mars, and only 30% of them were successful. Thanks to these missions, the American rovers Curiosity and Perseverance, as well as the Chinese rover Tianwen-1, are now operating on the surface of the Red Planet.
In recent years, Martian rhetoric has experienced a renaissance. Mars megaprojects—which combine political, legal, economic, scientific, technical, and socio-humanitarian issues—are enjoying a new lease on life. Technologically complex and financially extremely expensive, these projects could become the main beneficiaries of international cooperation. Elon Musk’s statements about interplanetary flight and the colonization of Mars, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s manifesto, Project Athena, as well as Chinese and European initiatives to explore the Red Planet, are widely known today. Meanwhile, the cost of a single manned expedition to Mars could exceed $400 billion.
Are all members of the international space club ready to share in the emerging opportunities and associated responsibilities? What space exploration plans do Russia, China, the United States, and other actors have? What are the prerequisites for multilateral cooperation for further space expansion? Participants in the Valdai Club discussion will attempt to answer these and other questions.
Speakers:
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Andrey Ionin, Advisor to the CEO of Geoscan Group, Vice President of the Technological Sovereignty Export Association;
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Evgeniya Drozhashchikh, Deputy Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation;
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Evgeny Kuznetsov, Futurist, Co-founder of Digital Evolution Ventures, Evand Singularity University Ambassador
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Anatoly Petrukovich, Director, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Moderator:
- Ivan Timofeev, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club
Working languages: Russian, English
Information for the media: In order to get accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our website. If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763.
Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VK, Telegram and Dzen.
