Astronautical engineer Robert Zubrin discusses the future of Mars colonization and the potential for building Martian city-states. He explores how SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are enabling affordable interplanetary travel. Zubrin predicts a Martian economy driven by real estate sales, bioengineering innovation, and societal structures emphasizing freedom. The podcast also touches on topics like shifting from scarcity to abundance mindset, the necessity of nuclear power on Mars, and exploring societal structures in Martian colonies.

In the latest episode of this Tech Tonic season about US-China tech rivalry, the FT’s US-China correspondent Demetri Sevastopulo tells the inside story of his scoop on China’s secret hypersonic weapon test and how it changed geopolitics. We hear about the new space race between China and the US, including powerful satellite-destroying missiles and the pursuit of commercial space capabilities. Could China and the US ever co-operate on space exploration or are we seeing the dawn of a new space race?Presented by James Kynge, the FT’s global China editor, this episode features interviews with US congressman Mike Gallagher; Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society.Check out stories and up-to-the-minute news from the FT’s technology team at ft.com/technologyFor a special discounted FT subscription go to https://www.ft.com/techtonicsaleAnd check out FT Edit, the new iPhone app that shares the best of FT journalism, hand-picked by senior editors to inform, explain and surprise. It’s free for the first month and 99p a month for the next six months.Hosted by James Kynge. Interview with congressman Mike Gallagher conducted by Demetri Sevastopulo. Edwin Lane is senior producer. Josh Gabert-Doyon is producer. Manuela Saragosa is executive producer. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Zubrin, President of the Mars Society, discusses the challenges and potentials of Mars exploration, including the role of Elon Musk's starships and the societal structure of a Martian community. The conversation explores the motivation behind sending humans to Mars, the vision for developing Martian cities, and the implications of Mars colonization on human physiology. Additionally, it delves into SpaceX's role in human settlement on Mars and upcoming Mars mission literature and conventions organized by the Mars Society.