SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that the company planned to launch about five unmanned Starship missions to Mars within two years, Reuters reported.
Musk said earlier this month that the first Starship to Mars would be launched in two years “when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.” He also revealed on Sunday that the timing of the first manned mission would also depend on the success of unmanned flights. However, if problems arise, crewed missions would be delayed for another two years, he added.
The billionaire and Tesla owner also said earlier this year that the first unmanned Starship would land on Mars in five years, with the first humans landing within the next seven years. In June, the Starship rocket returned from space with a breakthrough landing demonstration in the Indian Ocean. It completed a full test flight around Earth on its fourth attempt.
Musk is counting on Starship to build a large next-generation multipurpose spacecraft capable of sending people and cargo to the moon later this decade and eventually flying to Mars.
Earlier this year, NASA postponed the Artemis 3 mission and the first crewed moon landing in half a century using SpaceX’s Starship until September 2026. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa cancelled a private mission he paid for around the moon in June, citing uncertainty in the rocket’s development schedule.
