President Obama on Tuesday announced the U.S. has partnered with private firms in the goal of sending humans to Mars by the 2030s. Obama wrote in an essay for CNN that the government’s “ultimate ambition” is to one day “remain there for an extended time.” He wrote that astronauts will be sent to the International Space Station by private companies within the next two years. “Getting to Mars will require continued cooperation between government and private innovators, and we’re already well on our way,” Obama said.