Starship rocket will reach Mars in the next 5 years, Elon Musk announces

N FRANCISCO: Elon Musk said Saturday that the giant Starship rocket whose main objective is to land astronauts on the Moon by 2026 will also be headed to Mars in the next five years. Musk’s SpaceX company this week successfully conducted the third test flight of its 400-foot-tall Starship rocket with a Heavy booster. “Starships will be on Mars within 5 years,” he posted on X. The Tesla CEO also posted some pictures of the Starship rocket and said, “This is a real picture.” He added, “Everything you can do on the ground should be done on the ground, but reflectors on Phobos and Deimos (two moons of Mars) could be a good way to get to Mars.” Starship is the most powerful rocket in the world and will be used to send humans to the Moon and then to Mars. Starship consists of a huge first stage booster, called Super Heavy, as well as a 50-meter spacecraft known as Starship. Musk plans to relocate at least one million people to Mars. “We’re developing a game plan to take one million people to Mars,” Musk wrote in a recent post on X. The owner of the X said, “Humanity should be on the Moon, cities should be built on Mars.”