author: Bart Swiatek
Elon Musk Plans to Send a Rocket to Mars in a Few Years
Billionaire Elon Musk informed that in four years his company, SpaceX, is planning to send an unmanned mission to the Red Planet.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- SpaceX intends to send an unmanned mission to Mars in 2024;
- Elon Musk plans to use this "transfer window" to send his Starship vessel to the Red Planet.
Billionaire Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, has announced that in four years' time he intends to send an unmanned mission to Mars (via ZeeNews). The preparations could be completed in three years, but the planets will not be in the right position then. Optimal conditions occur every 26 months or so.
"I think we have a fighting chance of making that second Mars transfer window. We would maybe have a shot of sending or trying to send something to Mars in three years, if the mission timings didn't depend on orbital mechanics that call for Mars launches every 26 months," said Musk.
The first "window" to send anything to the Red Planet will open in 2022. This year China and the United Arab Emirates have seized the opportunity.
SpaceX intends to send a reusable rocket combined with a spaceship to Mars. The vessel is being built at the company's factory in southern Texas and is currently undergoing testing. In 2020, two prototypes were launched - SN5 and SN6 - which managed to rise to a height of 150 meters. The Starship technology will also be used during expeditions to the Moon and between locations on the Earth's surface.
The real goal of SpaceX is a base on Mars, but it is worth noting that the company does not intend to build it on its own, but only to allow someone else to do so.