[imagesource: Goodfon]

SpaceX plans to send five uncrewed Starships to Mars within the next two years, CEO Elon Musk announced on X last week.

Musk said SpaceX has to wait for the next Earth-Mars launch window before sending the missions, and should the uncrewed ships land safely, Musk anticipates sending crewed missions to Mars during the 2028-29 launch window.

However, if complications arise, the timeline for crewed missions will be extended by another two years, Musk added.

In June, SpaceX achieved a significant milestone when a Starship rocket survived a high-speed, fiery return from space. It successfully completed the hypersonic re-entry and demonstrated a breakthrough landing in the Indian Ocean. This was the rocket’s fourth attempt at a full test mission around the globe.

“No matter what happens with landing success, SpaceX will increase the number of spaceships traveling to Mars exponentially with every transit opportunity. We want to enable anyone who wants to be a space traveler to go to Mars! That means you or your family or friends – anyone who dreams of great adventure.”

“Eventually, there will be thousands of Starships going to Mars and it will a glorious sight to see! Can you imagine? Wow.”

SpaceX plans to launch about five uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years.

If those all land safely, then crewed missions are possible in four years. If we encounter challenges, then the crewed missions will be postponed another two years.

It is only possible to travel from… https://t.co/dzi03Hnyhg

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 22, 2024

If the Mars plan sounds familiar, it’s because Musk famously said four years ago that SpaceX would be sending ships to Mars in 2024. Alas, space travel is a fickle business, so the goalposts need to stay flexible. NASA, which had been planning to use SpaceX’s Starship for its Artemis 3 mission – the first crewed moon landing in over 50 years – has also postponed the mission to September 2026, from its earlier schedule of late 2025.

Ostensibly blaming “a mountain of government bureaucracy that grows every year,” Musk blames “stifling red tape” for SpaceX’s inability to launch missions to Mars sooner and, alluding to the election in November, predicts it would “grow under a Democratic Party administration.”

Indeed, Elon has been very vocal about his dislike for Kamala Harris, even going as far as saying her presidency will be catastrophic for civilisation.

That is my strong belief https://t.co/1diVPxeHT9

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2024

Seems a wee bit paranoid really, but if it spurs SpaceX on to get off our rock as soon as possible, we’re all for it. If not, civilisation will survive the US election results, promise.

[source:cnet]