“Privately funded missions are the only way to go to Mars with humans because the best way to go is on ‘one-way’ colonization flights and no government will likely sanction such a risk. The timing for this could well be within the next 20 years. It will fall within the hands of a small group of tech billionaires who view such missions as the way to leave their mark on humanity. The cost, complexity and risk of round trip missions is too high. With a one-way mission, you have to make sure you have the long-term infrastructure in place.” Peter Diamandis