SpaceX, headquartered in Texas, is set to launch its first uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens, CEO Elon Musk announced on Saturday. These missions aim to test the reliability of landing Starships intact on Mars. Musk added that, if successful, crewed flights to Mars could happen within four years.
On X (formerly Twitter), Musk shared, "The first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens. These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars."
He further stated, "If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years. Flight rates will increase exponentially with the long-term goal of building a self-sustaining city on Mars within 20 years. Becoming a multiplanetary species will significantly extend the lifespan of consciousness, reducing the risk of having all our resources concentrated on one planet."
In another post, Musk highlighted the groundbreaking nature of SpaceX's reusable rocket stages, emphasizing the economic viability of reuse. He noted, "SpaceX created the first fully reusable rocket stage and, more importantly, made reuse economically viable. Making life multiplanetary is fundamentally a cost-per-ton problem."
Musk explained that while it currently costs about $1 billion per ton to transport useful payloads to Mars, that figure needs to drop to $100,000 per ton to enable the development of a self-sustaining city. “This means improving the technology by a factor of 10,000—extremely difficult, but not impossible,” he added.
In June, SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever created, successfully achieved key milestones during its fourth test flight, highlighting the vehicle's reusability, according to CNN. The launch took place from SpaceX’s private Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on June 6, and was streamed live on X.
The Starship launch system consists of the upper Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket booster. Of the booster’s 33 engines, 32 successfully ignited during the launch, CNN reported. The test flight also saw the Super Heavy booster perform its first landing burn and splash down softly in the Gulf of Mexico eight minutes after liftoff.
Meanwhile, the Starship spacecraft achieved orbital insertion and began its controlled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The spacecraft survived peak heating during reentry, with a spectacular display of plasma buildup visible around the vehicle. The Starship capsule and its booster successfully splashed down.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites provided continuous livestream coverage during the reentry process. Although some camera views were partially obstructed by scorched material, the Starship ultimately performed its landing burn and safely splashed down in the Indian Ocean.
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