SpaceX Could Send Five Uncrewed Starship Missions to Mars Within Two Years

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to X this week to explain that the company plans to launch five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars in the next two years.

Ambitious plans to send at least five missions to the red planet

Musk said that the first Starships to Mars would launch in two years “when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.” 

The entrepreneur explained that the first crewed missions depended entirely on uncrewed flights. If these five uncrewed missions land safely it clears the way for crewed missions, which Musk promised within four years. However, if there are challenges with launches then the crewed missions could be put back another two years to 2028.

Musk has previously made promises about Starship timelines that have not necessarily been kept. He said earlier this year that the first crewed ships would land within five years and the first people would land on Mars within seven. However, it seems the CEO has become more confident about the timeline since a Starship rocket made a return from space and a successful landing demonstration in the Indian Ocean. The rocket completed a full test mission around the globe on the fourth attempt.

Musk’s Starship project promises to be able to take up to 100 people to Mars in one flight as well as delivering payloads such as satellites into Earth orbit. On X this week, he explained that the project was primarily being funded through profits made from StarLink satellite WiFi.