Starship will land on Mars within 3 to 4 years according to Elon Musk. On the occasion of the 74th International Astronautical Congress, the billionaire and CEO of SpaceX detailed the various projects of the aerospace company.
During the 74th International Astronautical Congress, which is currently being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, a distinguished surprise guest was invited to the event. For good reason, Elon Musk spoke for more than 45 minutes by videoconference with Clay Mowry, the president of the International Astronautical Federation.
The opportunity for the billionaire to say more about SpaceX’s upcoming projects, his aerospace company. During this exchange, the Starship rocket was obviously discussed. For good reason, after the explosion of the vessel during its first test flight in April 2023, we are still waiting for a date for SpaceX’s new attempt.
Suffice to say that the boss of X showed a certain caution in his comments on the subject. Rather unusual for the king of grandiose promises. However, he specified that numerous modifications had been made, in particular to the insulation of the Raptors engines and the hot separation system between the two stages. “If the engines fire and the ship doesn’t explode during separation, I think we’ll have a good chance of reaching orbit. he assured.
Starship will land on Mars within 3 to 4 years
During this interview, Clay Mowry wanted to question the billionaire about his ambitions for interstellar travel to Mars. For several years now, Elon Musk has been loudly proclaiming that humans will set foot on the Red Planet within 10 years. From declaration to declaration, the businessman has refined his predictions. In May 2022, he affirmed that the first manned flights with Starship towards Mars will begin in 2030.
So, has Elon Musk’s schedule changed in the meantime? During the videoconference, the business man gave some information on the subject. According to, Starship’s first mission to Mars will take place “within three to four years”. Please note, however, that it will initially be an expedition without a crew. “I think it’s sort of feasible within four years to do an uncrewed test landing there,” did he declare. As usual, Elon Musk’s predictions were immediately considered very, very optimistic by many specialists and experts in the sector.
Source: NY Times