2020-decade will see big space boom: Scientist

The 2020-decade will witness a big space boom, says Dr Anita Sengupta, a US-based aerospace engineer and former NASA rocket scientist.

The mission to Mars is definitely possible by 2030 but for this major international collaboration is needed, she said.

"Aerospace is the next big thing, and 2020 and the decade is very important for space," she said during a web-based discussion on 'SpaceX: Maiden Astronaut Flight' conducted by Shivaprasad Khened, Director, Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, and Dr AP Jayaraman, Chairman, National Science for Science Communicators, on Thursday.

Dr Sengupta, who was speaking from Los Angeles, said that hopefully, the Covid-19 scenario will pass soon and things will be normal.

"There are people who will put in money...private capital will come in...human exploration of space will continue," said Dr Sengupta, who worked in diverse areas like Hyperloop, Cold Atom Laboratory, Mars Science Laboratory, Deep Space and Ion Propulsion.

According to her, work on space travel will also continue in the times to come. "Space travel is a commercial venture and it would continue," she said adding that Hyperloop too is going to be a big thing.