Elon Musk’s father has predicted that SpaceX will successfully land on Mars within the next two years, marking a potential milestone in space exploration.
Speaking to GB News, Errol Musk expressed unwavering confidence in his son’s Mars ambitions.
He said: “He will go to Mars in due time, of course.
“I mean, that’s the whole point. I would imagine we should be able to land something on Mars within the next 24 months.
Errol Musk said he has no doubt that Space X will be on Mars soon
GB News
“We now have a government in America that will be more sympathetic to the problem.
“They will be able to do more testing of the star ship, but there’s no doubt whatsoever that within the next 24 months, we will land something on Mars. Yes, no doubt about that.”
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SpaceX currently dominates the commercial space race, regularly sending astronauts into orbit whilst maintaining significant government contracts.
The company holds a $3.6billion (£2.9billion) contract with NASA and an $11.8billion (£9.5billion) agreement with the Department of Defense over the past decade.
Its main American rival, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, lags behind, having not yet launched anyone beyond the outer edge of space.
The two companies have engaged in legal battles over billions in government funding, with their rivalry becoming increasingly bitter.
Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX
Reuters
Their competition has recently spilled onto social media, with both billionaires exchanging sharp words on Musk’s platform X.
SpaceX has already announced plans for its first uncrewed Mars mission within the next two years, utilising its Starship’s reusability capabilities.The Mars timeline has sparked a heated debate between Musk and renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Speaking on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher”, Tyson dismissed the feasibility of Mars colonisation.
“My read of the history of space exploration is such that we do big, expensive things only when it’s geopolitically expedient,” Tyson said.
The surface of MarsGetty
He painted a stark picture of a hypothetical venture capitalist meeting: “‘So, Elon, what do you want to do?’ ‘I want to go to Mars?’ ‘How much will it cost?’ ‘$1 trillion.’ ‘Is it safe?’ ‘No. People will probably die.’ ‘What’s the return on the investment?’ ‘Nothing.'”
Tyson concluded: “That’s a five-minute meeting. And it doesn’t happen.”
The comments prompted a swift response from Musk on X, who wrote: “Wow, they really don’t get it.”
Musk defended his Mars ambitions, stating: “Mars is critical to the long-term survival of consciousness.”