Elon Musk’s SpaceX has announced plans to send an unmanned space craft to Mars as early as 2018.
The Red Dragon, which is a variant of the Dragon 2 spacecraft, will aim for a soft landing on the surface of the red planet.
The cargo mission is intended to deliver scientific equipment to the red planet as part of Musk’s ambitions to create a human colony on Mars, which he intends to elaborate on later this year.
On Twitter, SpaceX said the Red Dragon missions will aim to “inform overall Mars architecture,” while indicating the Falcon Heavy rocket will be used to send the vessel on its way.
https://twitter.com/statuses/725351354537906176
The company also tweeted about recent tests of the SuperDraco engines it believes will be key to a safe landing on Mars.
https://twitter.com/statuses/725395026583285761
The firm has promised more details on the proposed missions will follow.
https://twitter.com/statuses/725364699303301120
“Dragon 2 is designed to be able to land anywhere in the solar system. Red Dragon Mars mission is the first test flight,” Musk tweeted on Wednesday.
“But wouldn’t recommend transporting astronauts beyond Earth-moon region. Wouldn’t be fun for longer journeys. Internal volume ~size of SUV.”
If SpaceX’s initial ambitions are met, the firm could become the first private company ever to land on another planet.
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To hear more about Musk’s overall plan to colonise Mars, we’re going to have to wait until September.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
