The Timeline for Human Colonization of Other Planets.

Human colonization of Mars is possible within decades, according to Serkan Saydam, deputy director of the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research. However, other scientists have offered less optimistic opinions. China plans to start sending human crews to Mars in 2033, while NASA aims to send astronauts there by the late 2030s or early 2040s. Exoplanet colonization may be possible in the future, but current technology would require travel times of tens of thousands of years. As humans learn to travel faster in space, the potential travel time to exoplanets could drop to hundreds of years.