Over the next two years, it would launch a few more autonomous roads before sending humans there.
In all his interests, Elon Musk tries to play the role of a visionary and, if possible, to advance development by “dreaming big”. This produces well-communicatable results in most areas, but perhaps no area brings the billionaire such spectacular success as his private space company SpaceX.
The company, which was started in 2002, already has such achievements behind it as Falcon rockets, the Dragon spaceship, the development of the Starship rocket system, and the Starlink experimental Internet service launched with 422 satellites during the years of covid.
However, Musk has a plan on top of that, which really fits more into a Bradbury short story than into the news: he is determined to colonize Mars one day, and for this purpose he would send people there as soon as possible with the help of Starship. However, he has now stated that this is yet to be preceded by a few unmanned journeys.
He believes that if this goes smoothly, the first manned mission could be launched by 2028, but if some problems arise, this date could be pushed back by another two years. This is not surprising, since anyone familiar with the work of the South African billionaire knows that his dates often change, and almost all such announcements should be treated with caution and flexibility.
Previously, he had already planned to land the first SpaceX rocket on the red planet in 2018, and then he thought that in 2022 he would already take people to the distant planet with the help of Starship. However, this was last discussed when SpaceX was awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Starship’s fifth orbital test.
The FAA is currently investigating the environmental impact of Starship flight, and a number of new safety measures are being implemented. However, until the official procedure is completed, SpaceX will not receive permission for further flights. The management of the company is seriously annoyed by this, as the procedure may drag on until at least the end of November.
In response to the related criticisms, the FAA stated that although they could have gone several times without the special procedure with the license still in force, in this case they could not have changed the configuration of the vehicle and the profile of the mission. However, since both had to be touched, they could not spare this in the end.
While many may understand Musk’s disappointment regarding the latest slippage, it is also understandable that the exact following of the regulation in question is essential to guarantee public safety. Adherence to industry standards is necessary to reduce the risk of catastrophic events and protect ecosystems.
Source: www.pcwplus.hu
