By Staff Writer
Elon Musk says SpaceX plans to launch approximately five uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years. He says if they land safely, human-crewed missions to Mars were possible in four years.
“If we encounter challenges, then the crewed missions will be postponed another two years,” he said on September 23, 2023. However, he added that one of the biggest risks the Mars missions faced was bureaucracy killing it off.
Musk was responding to commentary on X, formerly Twitter, that predictions humans will travel to Mars anytime soon was based on politics, rather than science and engineering.
“”It is only possible to travel from Earth to Mars every two years, when the planets are aligned,” Musk said. “This increases the difficulty of the task. No matter what happens with landing success, SpaceX will increase the number of spaceships traveling to Mars exponentially with every transit opportunity.”
Musk goes on to write about a future when there is a constant stream of Starships shuttling to Mars and that planet potentially providing humans, or at least some of them, a refuge from threats on Earth.
His comments come just hours after a NASA released details of two rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, it had scouring terrian on Mars in recent months. Both rovers uncovered some significant geological finds and continue a two-decade long history of sending unmanned missions to Mars. NASA hopes to send astronauts to the planet sometime in the early 2030s as part of its Artemis program.
In the meantime, Musk faces some problems closer to home. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed leving USD633,009 in civil penalties against SpaceX for allegedly failing to follow its license requirements during two launches in 2023.
The FAA says that in May 2023, SpaceX asked to revise its communications plan related to its license to launch from Cape Canaveral. The proposed revisions included adding a new launch control room at Hangar X and removing the T-2 hour readiness poll from its procedures. On June 18, 2023, SpaceX used the unapproved launch control room for the PSN SATRIA mission and did not conduct the required T-2 hour poll. The FAA wants to fine the company USD175,000 for each alleged violation.
In addition, in July 2023, SpaceX requested to revise its explosive site plan related to its license to launch from the Kennedy Space Center. The proposed revision including using a newly constructed rocket propellant farm. On July 28, 2023, SpaceX used the unapproved rocket propellant farm for the EchoStar XXIV/Jupiter mission. The FAA wants to fine USD283,009 for this violation.
In response, Musk described the proposed fines, to which SpaceX has 30 days to respond, as “more lawfare.” He also threatened to sue the FAA “for regulatory overreach.”
Yesterday, Musk said on X that “bureaucracy currently choking America to death.” Referencing the upcoming election, the said re-electing the current incumbent party bureaucracy risked choking America to death and could “destroy” the Mars program.
“One of my biggest concerns right now is that the Starship program is being smothered by a mountain of government bureaucracy that grows every year,” he said.
