SpaceX owner Elon Musk has once again spoken about his long-term plan to send humans to Mars. Responding to a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk suggested that the barren and lifeless Red Planet could eventually become green and capable of sustaining life.
The social media post featured an imaginary video showing how Mars might transform into a lush, green world in the future. Reacting to the video, Musk said, “Mars will certainly become green with life someday.”
It is worth noting that SpaceX intends to send five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars in 2026. In a post shared in September 2024, Musk stated that these five uncrewed missions would be launched within two years, after which crewed missions would follow.
According to Musk, the success of these initial missions will depend on whether Starship rockets can successfully land on the Martian surface. If the landings succeed, human missions could be launched within four years. However, if the missions face technical challenges, the crewed flights may be delayed by another two years.
He further explained that travel to Mars is only possible every two years when Earth and Mars come closest during their orbit around the sun. Musk added that regardless of success or failure, SpaceX will continue sending a larger number of Starships to Mars every two years, eventually reaching thousands of missions.
Reaching Mars has long been Musk’s ambition. In a post from December 2023, he said humanity should build a base on the Moon and a city on Mars. In an article written for a magazine in August 2022, he emphasized that human civilization must become capable of reaching other planets, stating that “if Earth becomes uninhabitable, we will need a spacecraft to fly toward a new home.”
