Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered his thoughts on the first crewed journey to Mars, which may come as a surprise to many. Musk believes that before the end of the decade, man will set foot on Mars for the first time.
When a Twitter user asked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk when he thinks man will first walk on the surface of Mars, Musk replied, "2029." While the news may excite some, it's important to remember that Musk's forecasts don't always come true.
Musk launched SpaceX 20 years ago with the intention of developing a reusable rocket system that would reduce launch costs and expand access to space.
SpaceX is already a dominant power in its own right, 20 years later. The corporation plans to expand its Starlink broadband network, which now has 2,000 satellites, to accommodate up to 30,000 spacecraft. It's expanding its orbital space tourism program and is the only American company that can send astronauts to the International Space Station. And, just as Musk said, SpaceX is now routinely launching and landing rockets carrying payloads for a variety of customers, ranging from private enterprises to NASA and the US Space Force.
Musk has always seen the big prize as getting humans to Mars and even establishing a self-sustaining colony there, despite having already accomplished a great deal with his workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, which currently transports astronauts to and from the International Space Station and launches satellites for a growing number of companies and organizations.
Musk admitted that "there will probably be a few bumps in the road" for the project, but that with the right preparation and plenty of test flights, SpaceX can build something that is "extremely reliable for human spaceflight." And with its Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft system, which now transports astronauts to and from the International Space Station, there's every chance SpaceX can do the same with Starship.
However, it must be noted that his predictions are prone to error, and this newest one may be no exception. In 2016, he claimed that humanity would reach Mars in 2026, a date that few people currently believe is achievable. Even 2029 sounds ambitious, with a lot of work ahead of it to prepare for such a major endeavor.
Musk would most likely employ SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket, which consists of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spaceship, for his Mars missions, despite the fact that the vehicle has yet to fly in orbit.
Starship might take its first test flight in the next month or two, putting it on track for a lunar landing in the coming years, pending regulatory approval, before attempting a travel to the more distant red planet.
"Let's make this real," Elon Musk declared to a gathering of adoring fans during an event last month after witnessing a dramatic video picturing a future Starship voyage to a Martian metropolis on Thursday night.
The SpaceX CEO was presenting the first public update on the company's next-generation space transportation system in two years, which is already part of NASA's plans for a crewed lunar landing and, yes, may one day ferry humans to Mars as well.
The event was held at SpaceX's Boca Chica site, with the Starship rocket — which consists of the incredibly powerful Super Heavy first stage and the Starship second stage — serving as a dramatic background.
Starship will be used for crewed moon and Mars landings, which is SpaceX's immediate aim. In the coming years, a crewed fly-around of the moon may potentially be possible. NASA has already asked SpaceX to build a lunar lander version of Starship, dubbed Starship HLS, for its forthcoming Artemis III mission, which would land the first woman and person of color on the moon in 2025.
Musk believes that if Starship is a success, it will be a significant step toward his larger dream of making life interplanetary, which earthlings must achieve if human civilization is to survive. Musk's idea may seem wild, and he won't be around long enough to see it through, but he's building the framework and pushing others to strive toward "making science-fiction not fiction forever," as he puts it.
Starship will be used for crewed moon and Mars landings, which is SpaceX's immediate aim. In the coming years, a crewed fly-around of the moon may potentially be possible.