SpaceX to Launch Uncrewed Starship to Mars in 2 Years

SpaceX is preparing to launch its first uncrewed Starship to Mars in two years, aligned with the next Earth-Mars transfer window.

These initial missions will be unmanned to test the reliability of landing safely on Mars. If these tests are successful, the company plans to start crewed missions to Mars within four years.

Elon Musk also pointed out that SpaceX has achieved a major milestone by making reusable rockets economically viable.

The current cost to send payloads to Mars is about $1 billion per ton, but Musk aims to reduce this cost to $100,000 per ton.

This reduction is crucial for building a self-sustaining city on Mars and requires a ten-thousand-fold improvement in technology.

In June, SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, successfully completed its fourth test flight.

Launched from Boca Chica, Texas, the Starship system includes the upper Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket booster.

The test flight achieved several key objectives, such as demonstrating the vehicle's reusability and ensuring the Starship capsule survived reentry and splashdown.