SpaceX to launch five uncrewed Starships to Mars within two years, says Elon Musk

SpaceX plans to launch about five uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said, in a post on social media platform X on Sunday.

"If those all land safely, then crewed missions are possible in four years," he said, adding that in case of any challenges the crewed missions will be postponed another two years.

"No matter what happens with landing success, SpaceX will increase the number of spaceships traveling to Mars exponentially with every transit opportunity," the SpaceX founder said.

Musk mentioned the launch of the uncrewed Starships to Mars earlier this month in a post X, saying "first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens."

Musk’s lofty Martian dreams are nothing new. The tech mogul has long voiced his intent to make humanity “multi-planetary,” often citing a human settlement on Mars as an insurance policy for civilisation. However, his recent statements suggest SpaceX is aggressively working to turn this vision into a reality within the next few years.