The arrival on the Red Planet is getting closer according to Musk. The first missions, however, will be unmanned.
Elon Musk, the visionary CEO and founder of SpaceX, has set a new and ambitious goal: take humanity to Mars. Musk announced that the company aims to launch its own Starship Starship towards the red planet as early as 2026, with the first human missions scheduled for 2028. This ambitious plan represents a decisive step towards realizing the dream of making humanity “multiplanetary”.
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The first Starship missions: crucial tests for landing on Mars
According to Musk, the first Starship launches to Mars will be , with the aim of testing the reliability of the system and ensuring a safe landing on Martian soil. These inaugural flights, expected in two years, represent a crucial phase of the program. “If these tests are successful, the first manned flights could take place as early as 2028,” Musk announced via his profile on X (formerly Twitter).
A multiplanetary future: the ambition to build a city on Mars
SpaceX’s plan is not limited to simple exploration missions. Musk’s ultimate goal is to build one self-sufficient city on Mars within the next 20 years. This settlement could be the key to ensuring long-term survival. “Being multiplanetary will greatly increase the lifespan of human consciousness,” Musk explained, underlining the importance of not “putting all your eggs in one basket,” referring to the need not to depend exclusively on Earth for humanity’s survival.
Starship: the most powerful and reusable rocket in history
Starship, with its 121.3 meters of height and a take-off mass of 5000 tonnes, is the largest and most powerful carrier rocket ever built. This innovative space craft is designed to be completely reusablea factor that could drastically reduce the costs of space missions. is composed of two stages: the first stage is the Super Heavy boosterwhile the second is the actual Starship, designed to carry crew and cargo into orbit and beyond.
Flight tests: steady progress towards success
To date, Starship has completed four test missions: in April and November 2023, and in March and June 2024. Each flight represented an improvement over the previous one, with all objectives achieved during the last mission, including an orbital flight and a safe landing on Earth. , the fifth in the series, will be particularly significant: it will be the first attempt to land the Super Heavy on the launch platform, using the sophisticated “stick” arms of the launch tower.
A decisive step towards the future
SpaceX’s program represents a historic step for humanity. If Musk’s plans come to fruition, within a few decades we could see the first human settlements on Mars, ushering in a new era in space exploration and the destiny of humanity. Musk’s vision of a multiplanetary future is ambitious, but with technological advances and capabilities, the dream of colonizing Mars may be closer than we imagine.
