SpaceX plans to launch its inaugural uncrewed Starships to Mars within two years, coinciding with the next Earth-Mars transfer window, according to a social media post by CEO Elon Musk on Saturday.
"These initial missions will be uncrewed to assess the reliability of landing intact on Mars," Musk explained. He further stated that if these landings are successful, SpaceX aims to conduct its first crewed flights to Mars within four years.
"The flight rate will escalate exponentially from there, with the ultimate objective of constructing a self-sustaining city on Mars in approximately 20 years," the billionaire added. In April, Musk, who established SpaceX in 2002, projected that the first uncrewed starship to touch down on Mars would occur within five years, with the first human landing on Mars within seven years.
In June, a Starship rocket successfully navigated a fiery, hypersonic return from space, achieving a significant landing demonstration in the Indian Ocean. This marked the completion of a comprehensive test mission around the globe on the rocket's fourth attempt. Musk envisions Starship as the cornerstone for his aspiration to develop a large, versatile next-generation spacecraft capable of transporting people and cargo to the moon later this decade and eventually to Mars.
