While SpaceX continues to await approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, FAA for its acronym in English, authorizes the fifth test flight of the giant rocket Starship, Elon Musk has announced on X, formerly Twitter, plans to reach Mars with a rocket. SpaceX plans to launch 5 unmanned missions to Mars in 2 years, taking advantage of the alignment between Mars and EarthThis occurs when the Earth is located between Mars and the Sun, a phenomenon known as opposition that is produced approximately every 26 monthsand it is the moment when the Earth is located closer to Mars.
“It is only possible to travel from Earth to Mars every two years, when the planets are aligned“This increases the difficulty of the task, but it also serves to immunize Mars from many catastrophic events on Earth,” said the CEO of SpaceX.
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
‘Regardless of what happens with the success of the landings, SpaceX will exponentially increase the number of spacecraft traveling to Mars with each transit opportunity‘ Musk explains. ‘We want to enable anyone who wants to be a space traveler to go to Mars! That means you, your family or friends – anyone who dreams of a great adventure.’
The date of the first manned mission to Mars will depend on the outcome of unmanned test flights. If they manage to land successfully on Mars, the first manned mission will take place in 4 years.However, if SpaceX experiences difficulties during unmanned missions, manned space missions will be postponed for another two years to ensure safetyThis isn’t the first time Musk has ventured a timeline for when humans will reach Mars, but he’s now given shorter timelines. Earlier this year, he claimed the first Starship could land on the Red Planet in the second half of the next five years, with humans landing on Mars in about seven years.
Starship is the Giant reusable 2-stage rocket, 124 meters high with which the POTthrough its Artemis program —of which the first mission was already carried out in 2022— will put astronauts back on the Moon and establish a human presence on the satellite. With Artemis IIIastronauts will descend to the lunar surface in a lunar lander Starship HLSinitials in English for Human Landing System, a variant of the Starship spacecraft which, together with the propellant Super Heavymake up the Starship rocket. This mission, initially planned for 2025, has been delayed by NASA until 2026.
Last June, Starship carried out its fourth test flight, the first in which it managed to Both Super Heavy and Starship will make a soft landing in the AtlanticAccording to Musk, Starship has been ready for its new test flight since last August, but the FAA will not authorize it. before the end of November.
‘One of my biggest concerns right now is that the Starship program is being suffocated by a mountain of government bureaucracy ‘It’s growing every year,’ Musk explains in his message. ‘While I have many concerns about a potential Kamala regime, my biggest concern is that the bureaucracy currently suffocating the United States will surely grow under a Democratic Party government. This would destroy the Mars program and condemn humanity.‘, he adds.