SpaceX Plans Uncrewed Starship Mars Launch in Two Years

SpaceX plans to send uncrewed Starships to Mars within two years, start crewed missions in four years, and build a self-sustaining city on Mars in 20 years, says CEO Elon Musk.

The aerospace innovator aims to send its first crewless Starships to Mars within two years, aligning with the upcoming Earth-Mars transfer window.

CEO Elon Musk revealed this plan in a Saturday post on X:

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. If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years.

Flight rate will… https://t.co/ZuiM00dpe9

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2024

Musk stated that the successful completion of these initial missions could lead to crewed flights beginning in as little as four years. The SpaceX head also envisions an exponential increase in flight frequency, with the long-term goal of establishing an independent Martian city within 20 years. Musk emphasized that being multiplanetary would significantly extend the longevity of human consciousness.

Musk often highlights that his ultimate goal for SpaceX is to send humans to Mars. Previously, the tech mogul estimated that the initial uncrewed Starship could touch down on Mars within the next five years, with the initial crewed mission following in seven years.

SpaceX’s Success in Space

In June, SpaceX’s Starship completed a successful global test mission, surviving a fiery, hypersonic reentry and achieving a successful touchdown in the Indian Ocean on its fourth attempt. This marked the first successful return of the vehicle to Earth, advancing future missions, including NASA’s Artemis Moon landings and potential Mars exploration.

Despite several setbacks with the Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX continues to play a pivotal role in ferrying astronauts and cargo to the ISS with its Falcon rockets and Dragon capsules. The company has also secured a NASA contract worth up to $843 million to develop the US Deorbit Vehicle for safely deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, planned initially with four astronauts, will launch with two to accommodate the stranded Starlinerastronauts on the International Space Station. The mission is set to launch on September 24.

Additionally, SpaceX intends to send its first-ever crewed spaceflight over the Earth’s poles, named Fram2, in late 2024. This mission, involving four civilian astronauts aboard a Dragon capsule, aims to study atmospheric lighting phenomena.