Private industry and capital can do things more efficiently than government largess. True, government can FORCE things but, in the end, you get something like the Space Program which, while we beat the USSR to the Moon, didn't have long-run viability.
The "creative destruction" of capitalism will lead to flame-outs like this one, and will attract Elon Musk-types as well. But ultimately, you'll get people on Mars without ghastly government-caused death in outer space due to some bureaucratic stupidity.
“But ultimately, you’ll get people on Mars...”
Only if someone figures out a way that a business could actually make a profit by sending people there.