Elon Musk Says SpaceX Has '50/50' Chance of Launching First Uncrewed Mission to Mars by 2026

Gizmodo
Musk Still Thinks Mars Is a Go for 2026, Despite Starship's Epic Losing Streak

The SpaceX CEO is aiming for Starship’s Version 3 to fly by the end of this year. From there, he hopes to catch an upcoming launch window for Mars that opens at the end of 2026. “We’ll try to make that opportunity, if we get lucky,” Musk said during his talk. “I think we probably have a 50/50 chance right now.” We’ve learned not to take Musk’s timelines too seriously, but a Starship redesign will probably be necessary to lift the rocket out of its recent slump. And until SpaceX successfully demonstrates in-orbit refueling—an absolute requirement for reaching Mars—Starship remains more fantasy than spacecraft.

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Gizmodo
Reuters
Musk aiming to send uncrewed Starship to Mars by end of 2026

Musk acknowledged that his latest timeline for reaching Mars hinged on whether Starship can accomplish a number of challenging technical feats during its flight-test development, particularly a post-launch refueling maneuver in Earth orbit. The end of 2026 would coincide with a slim window that occurs once every two years when Mars and Earth align around the sun for the closest trip between the two planets, which would take seven to nine months to transit by spacecraft.

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Reuters
The Telegraph
Elon Musk to build enormous Texas ‘gigabay’ to store 1,000 Starships

On Thursday, Mr Musk revealed new designs for SpaceX’s Starship, which he said would be “taller” and have a redesigned separation mechanism. He said future generations of its Starship would be 465ft tall and have twice the payload capacity of the Saturn V rocket that conducted the original Moon missions. The billionaire added that his ambition was that “anyone who wants to move to Mars can do so”, which he said would be the “best adventure that anyone could possibly do”. He added there was a “50/50” chance SpaceX would launch an uncrewed Starship mission at the end of 2026, when Mars is at the closest point in its orbit to Earth.

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The Telegraph
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News Results

Elon Musk says SpaceX will launch its biggest Starship yet this year, but Mars in 2026 is '50/50'
SpaceX is still shooting for Mars next year with its giant Starship rocket. The giant rocket consists of two elements, both of which are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable. Starship has nine test flights under its belt, the most recent of which launched on Tuesday (May 29)
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Mars by 2026? The 4 key takeaways from Elon Musk’s Starship update
SpaceX sets an ambitious timeline for getting to the Red Planet.
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Musk sets ambitious 2026 goal for uncrewed Starship Mars voyage
Optimal planetary alignment drives aggressive timeline for SpaceX mission.
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SpaceX wants to send humans to Mars by 2028, here’s why it won’t
This week saw another dramatic test of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, when the mighty rocket exploded once again. Both the upper and lower stages were lost. The aim, Musk says, is to launch a Starship to Mars by 2026, and if that goes well, then a crewed mission two years later, in late 2028 or early 2029.
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Elon Musk makes big announcement on Mars colonisation following Doge departure
Elon Musk has shared further details of his plans to colonise Mars. The SpaceX owner said opportunities to travel to Mars come about ‘every two years’ - or every 26 months, to be precise. He added that there is currently a ‘50/50 chance’ that they will meet the next window of November or December 2026.
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Musk aiming to send uncrewed Starship to Mars by end of 2026
Musk aiming to send uncrewed Starship to Mars by the end of 2026. The billionaire entrepreneur had said earlier that he was planning to scale back his role in government to focus greater attention on his businesses. Musk acknowledged that his latest timeline for reaching Mars hinged on whether Starship can accomplish a number of technical feats.
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NASA space missions planned for 2024
The year ahead promises to deliver some spectacular pursuits, pushing human and scientific exploration further than it's gone in decades. NASA plans to send astronauts on a lunar fly-by mission that will travel deeper into the solar system than anyone has ventured in more than 50 years. Science-focused missions are enhancing the collective understanding of our universe faster than ever before.
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What’s next for NASA’s giant moon rocket?
NASA’s huge lunar rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), might be in trouble. Some are questioning the need for the US national space agency to have its own mega rocket at all. The rocket is huge, 322 feet (98 meters) tall, and about 15% more powerful than the Saturn.
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SpaceX is about to attempt its most ambitious Starship test flight yet. Here’s what to know
SpaceX is set to launch the latest test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket system ever constructed. The rocket could one day be used to carry humans to the moon and Mars. The Super Heavy rocket booster will potentially be caught midair with a pair of massive metal pincers, which SpaceX calls “chopsticks”
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