SpaceX’s owner, Elon Musk, has revealed his plans to build a human city on Mars within the next few decades. He says SpaceX starships will start flying to Mars just two years from now if everything goes well.
On September 7, Elon Musk took to his X account to boldly announce the new target timelines, saying, “These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars. If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years.”
He added, “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.”
SpaceX will begin launching starships to land on Mars’ surface in 2 years. The first flight will test the spaceship’s landing capabilities and ensure the safety of the passengers aboard. The first crewed voyages will begin between two and four years later, depending on the initial testing.
The SpaceX stacked starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket, which is about 400 feet (122 meters) tall and generates 16.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
SpaceX believes that this starship’s combination of brawn and efficiency will fulfill Elon Musk’s long-held dreams of Mars settlement.
However, the starship isn’t fully up and running; it has flown four test missions and is preparing for the fifth flight that will take place soon.
