Elon Musk hopeful of launching crewless Mars flight in 2 years
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (Image Courtesy: https://www.marssociety.org)
Berlin: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company is working towards launch of an crewless Mars flight in about two years.
Starship is SpaceX's ambitious spacecraft to take humans to the Red Planet. The company has been working on prototypes to find the right design that will work for the transport.
Musk revealed SpaceX's Mars mission plans as he sat down for a chat with Mathias Dopfner, CEO of Axel Springer SE, during an award presentation ceremony in Berlin.
The tech billionaire, who has been batting for making life interplanetary, accepted the award on Tuesday from media giant Axel Springer at the company's headquarters.
Downplaying a question on his own plans to be in orbit, Musk said that he is interested in developing the technology that can enable of lot of people to visit Mars.
"I think it is important that we strive to have a self-sustaining city on Mars as soon as possible," he said, adding that it is important to have a base on Moon.
Musk said that he feels fairly "confident" that human beings should land on Mars in about six years -- and if "lucky" in four years.
He pointed out that Earth and Mars synchronisation of orbits around the Sun happens approximately every 26 months and the next synchronisation is due in two years.
"We want to send an uncrewed vehicle there (Mars) in two years," he said.