In a social media post on X, Musk said, “The first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.”
“These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars.If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years,” he added.
Musk further claimed that the flight rate will increase exponentially from that point, with the ultimate objective of establishing a self-sustaining city on Mars within approximately 20 years.
“Flight rate will grow exponentially from there, with the goal of building a self-sustaining city in about 20 years,” the billionaire said.
In April, Musk, who founded SpaceX in 2002, said the first uncrewed starship to land on Mars would be within five years, with the first people landing on Mars within seven years.
In June, a Starship rocket survived a hypersonic return from space and achieved a breakthrough landing demonstration in the Indian Ocean, completing a full test mission around the globe on the rocket’s fourth try.
Musk is counting on Starship to fulfill his goal of producing a large, multipurpose next-generation spacecraft capable of sending people and cargo to the moon later this decade, and ultimately flying to Mars.