How Musk's Starship can reach Mars in 6 months
What's the story
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX, has claimed that his Starship spacecraft could reach Mars in just six months.
The ambitious plan hinges on launching during specific planetary alignments that occur every 26 months.
These "oppositions" are when Earth is positioned between the Sun and Mars, bringing the two planets closer together.
NASA confirmed that such oppositions occur every 26 months. In 2005, Earth and Mars were just 70.3 million kilometers apart during one such event.
Mission schedule
SpaceX's Mars mission timeline
Musk has revealed that Starship could launch for Mars by the end of 2026, carrying Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus. This will be a test before human missions begin as early as 2029. The Mars-bound rocket will take off from SpaceX's Starbase in southern Texas.
Problems
String of launch failures
In related news, the Starship failed during its test flight this early morning. A fuel tank leak aboard the vehicle was blamed for the incident.
This marks the mega rocket's third consecutive launch failure in a row.
The firm's last two test flights, the seventh one in January and the eighth this March, also finished with the destruction of the rocket.
Program focus
Commitment to Starship program
Despite the failures, SpaceX is fully committed to the Starship program.
The Wall Street Journal reported that personnel and resources are being shifted to prepare for a Mars mission in 2026.
Musk's vision of a human future on Mars is slowly taking shape with opposition drawing near and tests underway.
This could mark a new era in space travel sooner than we think.