SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has made no secret of his desire to get humans to Mars . He has hinted at doing so with something call the Mars Colonial Transporter ( MCT ) in the past . But despitepreviously sayinghe would reveal what this is in 2015 , nothing materialized .
At the StartmeupHK Festival in Hong Kong this week , though , Musk had some encouraging words for would - be Martians . He aver that in September of this year , he would divulge detail about a novel rocket and space vehicle beyond the current Falcon and Dragon serial , which may be used for Mars missions .
“ We ’re pretty cheeseparing to sending crew up to the Space Station – that ’s currently scheduled for the destruction of next year , ” he said , referencing the upcomingDragon 2 vehiclethat SpaceX is testing . The company is under contract by NASA to send astronauts to the ISS from 2017 . “ So that ’ll be exciting , with our Dragon 2 spacecraft . ”
He cover : “ And then we ’ll have a next - genesis rocket and spacecraft beyond the Falcon - Dragon series , and I ’m hoping to describe that architecture later this year at the International Astronautical Congress [ in Guadalajara , Mexico , September 26 to 30 ] which is the big international space effect of the twelvemonth . ”
“ So I think that ’ll be quite exciting … And in terminus of the first flights to Mars , we ’re hoping to do that in around 2025 . ”
This latter commentary intemperately propose that Musk will bring out contingent about the MCT on a global stagecoach at the IAC , where major players include NASA and ESA will be in attending . NASA themselves require to send man to Mars in the 2030s ; for Musk to outdo them with an former mission ( a date of 2025 was touted ) would be a significant takeover for the decade - old party .
Elsewhere in the talk , Musk also revealed that he hoped to move around to the International Space Station ( ISS ) himself by the end of the tenner . In the past , Musk has himself said that he also would n’t mind pass to Mars to live out the rest of his day . “ I would like to pass away on Mars . Just not on wallop , ” various sources have quote him as order .
Maybe , in September , we ’ll retrieve out how he plans to do just that .
