Elon Musk shares BIG update on his multiplanetary vission: ‘First SpaceX uncrewed Starships to Mars in 2 years, then…’

SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, is planning to launch its first uncrewed Starships to Mars in just two years, aligning with the next Earth-Mars transfer window. This window represents a period when the planets are closest to each other, minimizing the time and fuel required for a mission. Musk announced these plans on Saturday, emphasizing the importance of testing the reliability of landing on Mars. If the initial missions succeed, the first crewed flights could occur within four years.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Musk elaborated: “The first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens. These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars.”

The initial missions will serve as critical tests for SpaceX, evaluating the spacecraft’s performance, safety, and reliability on the Martian surface. If these landings are successful, SpaceX could quickly scale up its operations, with the goal of launching crewed missions in four years and ultimately building a self-sustaining city on Mars within the next two decades.

Elon Musk has long advocated for making humanity a multiplanetary species, arguing that it would dramatically increase the probable lifespan of human consciousness. “If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years. Flight rate will grow exponentially from there, with the goal of building a self-sustaining city in about 20 years. Being multiplanetary will vastly increase the probable lifespan of consciousness, as we will no longer have all our eggs, literally and metabolically, on one planet,” Musk stated.

His vision is clear: to establish a human presence on Mars, which could serve as a backup for Earth in case of existential threats like asteroid impacts, nuclear war, or other global catastrophes.

SpaceX has already achieved a historic milestone by creating the first fully reusable rocket stage, which has significantly reduced the cost of launching payloads into orbit. However, the cost of sending payloads to Mars is still prohibitively high. “SpaceX created the first fully reusable rocket stage and, much more importantly, made the reuse economically viable. Making life multiplanetary is fundamentally a cost-per-ton to Mars problem,” Musk explained.

Currently, it costs approximately $1 billion per ton to send useful payloads to the surface of Mars. To establish a self-sustaining city, this cost needs to be reduced dramatically, to around $100,000 per ton—a 10,000-fold improvement. Musk acknowledged the difficulty of achieving such a massive reduction in cost but remains optimistic about the possibility: “Extremely difficult, but not impossible.”

SpaceX has been making strides toward its Mars mission goals. In June of this year, the company successfully launched its Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, achieving several key objectives during its fourth test flight. The launch took place on June 6 at 8:50 a.m. ET from SpaceX’s private Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, with live coverage provided via X.

The Starship launch system consists of two main components: the upper Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster. During the launch, 32 of the booster’s 33 engines ignited, as reported by SpaceX. Several milestones were reached during the test flight, including the successful reentry of the Starship capsule, which withstood peak heating as it passed through Earth’s atmosphere. Both the capsule and booster safely splashed down after the flight.

While SpaceX’s plans are ambitious, the road ahead is fraught with challenges. Landing on Mars presents unique difficulties due to its thin atmosphere, which provides less aerodynamic resistance to slow down a spacecraft. Unlike Earth, Mars’ surface is covered with rocks and craters, making precise landing even more critical. The uncrewed missions planned for the next two years will focus on mastering these challenges, ensuring that future human missions can land safely.

Moreover, SpaceX will need to develop technologies to support human life on Mars. This includes life support systems, radiation shielding, and methods for producing food, water, and oxygen on the Martian surface. Musk’s vision of a self-sustaining city involves the construction of infrastructure, such as habitats, power stations, and factories, to produce everything needed locally.

If SpaceX’s missions prove successful, they could mark the beginning of a new era in space exploration. The ability to send humans to Mars and establish a permanent presence there would represent one of the most significant achievements in human history. As Musk envisions, a self-sustaining city on Mars could be built within 20 years, potentially leading to the colonization of other planets and moons in the solar system.

This exponential growth in space travel capabilities could transform our understanding of humanity’s place in the universe. By becoming a multiplanetary species, humanity would no longer be confined to one planet, increasing the odds of survival against potential extinction events.

SpaceX’s plans for Mars are ambitious, groundbreaking, and filled with challenges. However, with the successful test launches of Starship and the continued innovation in reusable rocket technology, the company is moving closer to its goal of making life on Mars a reality. The upcoming uncrewed missions will serve as a critical test of the technology and processes needed to achieve this goal.

Musk’s vision of a multiplanetary civilization may seem like science fiction today, but with each successful test flight and technological breakthrough, it edges closer to becoming a reality. The next few years will be crucial in determining whether SpaceX can turn this vision into a monumental chapter in the history of human exploration. The world waits eagerly to see if SpaceX will indeed take humanity’s first steps toward the stars.