Elon Musk: Mission to Mars in 2024 could also become unmanned flight
Elon Musk has stated in an interview that it is still the intention that a mission to Mars will be carried out in 2024. The CEO of SpaceX indicated that it is not certain that this flight will also have a crew.
In the interview with Recode, the editor asks if Musk himself is considering going to Mars. He evades this question a bit by making it clear that he does not know that yet, nor does he know whether the Mars mission in 2024 will be manned at all. He expresses the hope that astronauts can join, but according to Musk there is a “pretty good chance” that at least an unmanned spacecraft is heading for Mars.
He emphasizes that in 2024 there will be another period in which it is favorable to reach Mars, just like in 2022. Musk says he hopes to be able to meet the time window in 2024. The SpaceX director has previously announced a timeline for an unmanned cargo mission to Mars in 2022, followed by the first manned mission two years later. During the interview, he barely discussed the possibilities of undertaking a mission to Mars in 2022, so it is possible that this time frame will eventually be extended by two years.
For the Mars missions, the idea is to deploy the Big Falcon Rocket. SpaceX has already started developing the system, although construction is unlikely to start until summer next year. With the BFR, Musk wants to eventually turn humans into an ‘interplanetary species’, using a reusable supply system in space. This new rocket will also be used for a tourist flight around the moon, which is planned for 2023.
During the interview, Musk also briefly discussed the discussion about a possible sixth branch of the US military forces, which is specifically intended for space security. This so-called Space Force, the importance of which US Vice President Mike Pence recently underlined, is a good idea in Musk’s view, because he believes it can be very helpful in expanding our civilization in space. This plan of a Space Force has been criticized, such as fears of an arms race in space, the finding that it violates international law, or that the US Air Force could also carry out the tasks of the Space Force.