Tesla boss Elon Musk is always asked multiple times through interviews regarding the plan of SpaceX and its anticipated mission to Mars. The billionaire iterates that projects on the space firm are pulling the launch date as early as possible. Elon Musk's responses, however, always lack specified schedules.
In the latest update, Elon Musk tweeted this week that the first manned missions to Mars will occur sometime in the year 2029. However, CNET reported that the SpaceX CEO seems to have other plans at an earlier date.
SpaceX-Led Human Mission to Mars in 2029?
Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. - Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk delivered an eagerly-awaited update on SpaceX's Starship, a prototype rocket the company is developing for crewed interplanetary exploration.
Elon Musk's update last December regarding the trip to the red planet shows that the company will have missions early in 2026. Both the announcements void the billionaire's initial intent based on his calculations last 2016 when he said the estimates of SpaceX's preparations will hit the goal by 2024.
If Elon Musk successfully flies humans to Mars by 2029, the launch will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the first moon landing. In a tweet, Elon Musk showed a picture of the 1969 lunar mission anchored with concept art that asks for the completion of a potential schedule.
According to a report by The Byte, Elon Musk's plans exceeding further in the 2030s would coincide with NASA's separate arrangements to set foot on Martian soil.
Elon Musk's previous announcements keep on changing due to many factors, such as the regulations pushed by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Because of federal-scale reasons like this, It is too early to say that Elon Musk's tease this week could be what we are waiting for.
Launch to Mars Expected to Change
Elon Musk gained the world's attention in recent years due to the innovations his companies developed and because of his personal insights into current events.
In March, Elon Musk relayed a special project for the Starlink users based in Ukraine amidst the conflict between the country and Russia. The billionaire's internet maintenance initiative supported the communication infrastructures that were damaged because of the attacks by the aggressors.
Following the aid, Elon Musk challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin in one-on-one combat as a response to the actions demonstrated by the country to its neighbor Ukraine. The SpaceX CEO concluded the combat when Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin responded to the duel invitation instead of the president.
Today, SpaceX's plans to go to Mars are still blurry, but considering the series of successes of the firm in combined flights and innovation these past months, Elon Musk could surprise us soon.
Many doubt the future of humanity on Mars, but Elon Musk already thought of details more than just the launch to the red planet, like how we would be able to breathe on the Martian surface perpetually and the lifestyle expected on the human colony on Mars.
Supposed that Elon Musk already laid out SpaceX plans for 2029 or further, the mission led by the firm would still be the first to get to Mars. It would also serve as one of the special moments in the history of the astronomical field.
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