SpaceX plans to launch about five unmanned Starship spacecraft to Mars in the next two yearsas announced by the company’s CEO on Sunday, Elon Muskon the social network X, also owned by him.
“SpaceX plans to launch about five unmanned Starship spacecraft to Mars within two years,” said Musk, who founded the company in 2002.
The businessman explained that if these unmanned missions land successfully, manned missions could be carried out within four years. However, if “challenges” arise, manned missions would be postponed for two more years, reaching a horizon of six years.
“Regardless of the outcome of the landings, SpaceX will exponentially increase the number of spacecraft traveling to Mars in every window of opportunity.”Musk said.
The tycoon had already mentioned these plans in another post on X earlier this month, in which he stated that the first Starships bound for Mars would take off in two years, coinciding with the next Earth-Mars transfer window.
Musk has offered varying timelines for SpaceX’s Mars journey. In April, he said the first unmanned spacecraft would land within five years, while the first crewed missions would follow in seven years.
To reach Mars, SpaceX has designed a ship called Starship, considered the largest and most powerful in the world, which seeks to open new frontiers in space exploration.
In April, Starship survived a hypersonic reentry to Earth and made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean, demonstrating its ability to successfully complete space missions.