2 years, 5 missions

SpaceX plans five Mars missions in two years

Launch of a SpaceX heavy-lift rocket with the Starship spacecraft

(Bild: AP)

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has shared his vision of Mars flights for the masses. "We want to empower anyone who wants to be a space traveler to travel to Mars! That means you or your family or friends - anyone who dreams of great adventures," Musk wrote on his short message platform X.

One day, there will be thousands of "Starships" flying to Mars. Musk specified SpaceX's Mars plans: the company wants to launch around five unmanned spaceships to Mars in 2026. If they all land safely on the planet, the first missions with astronauts would be possible in four years - in the event of difficulties, manned missions would be postponed for another two years.

Trips to Mars only possible every two years
According to Musk, journeys from Earth to Mars are only possible every two years. The distance from Earth to Mars varies considerably, as both planets have their own orbits around the sun. The time windows targeted for missions are those in which the distance is shortest. Regardless of the success of the landings, SpaceX will increase the number of ships flying to Mars "exponentially" with each such transit opportunity, the multi-billionaire continued.

The 53-year-old emphasized that the fundamental question is whether humanity will be able to establish itself permanently on several planets before Earth society is so weakened by global catastrophes that it can no longer send supplies to Mars.

"Starship" explodes during several test flights
Last year, SpaceX's "Starship", the largest and most powerful rocket system ever built, exploded during several test flights. On the fourth attempt, the unmanned rocket made it into space and later landed in the Indian Ocean, albeit damaged.

In mid-September, the four-person crew of the private "Polaris Dawn" mission, in which SpaceX was involved, returned safely after a space journey lasting several days at a distance of up to 1,400 kilometers from Earth, including a walk in space. Its launch had previously been postponed several times.

According to SpaceX, this mission was also part of the preparations for extraterrestrial colonization: "Millions of spacesuits are needed to build a base on the moon and a city on Mars," said the project planners. The spacewalks that have now been completed were an important step in the development of spacesuits for long-term missions in space. Most recently, Musk assumed that a self-sufficient city on Mars would be possible in 20 years.