Caixin Media reported on September 9th (edited by Zhou Ziyi), Elon Musk's well-known 'Mars immigration' plan is making progress, and Musk recently set a preliminary timetable for this ambitious plan.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, posted on social media platform X on Saturday, September 7th, stating that SpaceX will launch the first batch of unmanned 'Starship' spacecraft to Mars within two years.

Musk wrote that these spacecraft will be self-driving to test the reliability of landing on Mars. He added that if they land successfully, SpaceX will launch manned spacecraft to Mars for the first time within four years, which will be a key milestone as the launch rate of spacecraft will increase exponentially from that point.

Musk also envisioned building a self-sustaining city on Mars in about 20 years.

In April of this year, Musk stated that the first unmanned spacecraft to land on Mars will be achieved within five years, and the first humans will land on Mars within seven years.

Starship

Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, standing about 400 feet (approximately 122 meters) tall, generating 16.7 million pounds of thrust at launch, nearly twice the space launch system (SLS) rocket of NASA's Artemis moon program.

This "major player" consists of two parts: the first stage is a "heavy-duty" booster, and the second stage is a 165-foot-tall upper spacecraft "Starship", both of which are reusable.

So far, the "Starship" has completed four test missions: in April and November 2023, and in March and June of this year. In the fourth test flight in June, the "Starship" performed well, with the first and second stages of the rocket successfully separating and landing as planned in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean, respectively.

SpaceX is currently preparing for the fifth flight of the "Starship", which is expected to take place soon. Currently, the company has conducted separate test fires for the heavy-duty booster and the Starship that will perform this mission.

If everything goes as planned, the fifth flight test will bring an exciting twist. After the fourth test flight, SpaceX announced plans to bring back the massive booster or spacecraft by "catching" it with a robotic arm during the fifth test flight, in order to achieve precise landing on the launch pad at Starbase, realizing "launchpad capture and recovery".

Musk stated that if this bold strategy succeeds, it will increase the pace of Starship flights, allowing boosters to undergo inspections, refurbishments, and re-launches more quickly.

Editor/Somer