OceanGate co-founder claims he can 'safely' put humans on Venus

Guillermo Söhnlein, the co-founder of the company behind the Titan submersible, claims that it is possible to "safely" send humans to Venus, the Independent reported.

Despite the planet's inhospitable conditions, including extreme heat and toxic clouds, he believes that humanity can adapt using breathing apparatus and acid-resistant materials, according to his blog post in April.

While experts currently believe that human life on Venus is almost impossible, Söhnlein, 58, suggests that humans could potentially live and work on the planet by building a home 50 kilometres above its surface, where conditions are reportedly more Earth-like.

His bold proposal raises the possibility of exploring Venus as a potential destination for human colonisation, challenging traditional ideas about habitable environments beyond the Earth.

In his blog, the Argentinian-born OceanGate co-founder wrote: "We don't have to worry about conducting successful landings on the planet's surface, which is one of the biggest challenges awaiting us on Mars.

"If anything, one could argue that sending humans to Venus BEFORE sending them to Mars might be a better way to safely develop the capabilities to create a Martian community."

Söhnlein is now busy encouraging scientists, explorers and private investors to join and make his dream of reaching Venus a reality.

"I think it is less aspirational than putting a million people on the Martian surface by 2050," he told Business Insider at the time.

He co-founded OceanGate back in 2009 with Stockton Rush, 61, who died last June when the Titan suffered a "catastrophic implosion" around an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the Titanic wreck site, killing four others.

However, he left OceanGate in January 2020 and founded the Humans2Venus Foundation.

In January of this year, Söhnlein founded Space Bridge Partners, a company that connects commercial investors with an interest in space exploration to missions.