Elon Musk plans to send humans to Mars in 2018
SpaceX is preparing for an ambitious mission: the first human flight to Mars could take place as early as 2028, and by 2048, the company plans to create the first self-sufficient city on the Red Planet.
Here's What We Know
In 2026, SpaceX plans to send an unmanned Starship spacecraft to Mars to test all the technical aspects of the landing. This flight will be a preparatory mission before sending humans.
Elon Musk notes that the main challenge is to reduce the cost of transporting goods to Mars. Currently, these costs are about $1 billion per tonne, but the company's goal is to reduce them to $100,000 per tonne.
Musk believes that the colonisation of other planets will significantly increase humanity's chances of survival. Life on several planets will reduce humanity's vulnerability to catastrophic events.
The first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 7 September 2024
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
To achieve this goal, SpaceX will use reusable Starships that will be refuelled in Earth orbit. This will allow transporting up to 100 tonnes of cargo to Mars. The spacecraft's heat shield is designed to protect it during re-entry.
The question remains whether the first flight will include Optimus robots, which Musk also mentioned in his plans.
Source: @elonmusk
