View source for Astronomy:SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure

{{short description|Mars mission envisioned by SpaceX}}
{{Infobox space program
| name = SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure
| country = {{wipe|United States}}
| organization = [[Company:SpaceX|SpaceX]]
| purpose = [[Astronomy:Colonization of Mars|Colonization of Mars]]
| status = Planned
| cost = 
| firstflight = {{circa|2022|lk=no}}
| firstcrewed = {{circa|2024|lk=no}}
| launchsite = 
| crewvehicle = [[Engineering:SpaceX Starship|SpaceX Starship]]
| capacity = ≤ 100
}}
[[Biography:Elon Musk|Elon Musk]] and [[Company:SpaceX|SpaceX]] have proposed the development of '''Mars transportation infrastructure''' in order to facilitate the eventual [[Astronomy:Colonization of Mars|colonization of Mars]]. The mission [[Engineering:Spaceflight mission architecture|architecture]] includes [[Astronomy:Reusable launch system|fully reusable]] [[Engineering:Launch vehicle|launch vehicle]]s, human-rated [[Engineering:Spacecraft|spacecraft]], [[Astronomy:Geocentric orbit|on-orbit]] propellant tankers, rapid-turnaround [[Engineering:Launch pad|launch/landing mounts]], and local production of rocket fuel on Mars via [[Astronomy:In situ resource utilization|in situ resource utilization]] (ISRU). SpaceX's aspirational goal since 2017 has been to<!-- Musk explicitly stated this was "aspirational" --> land the first humans on Mars by 2024.<ref name=BBC20170929/><ref name=TechCrunch20170928/> 

A key element of the infrastructure is planned to be the [[Engineering:SpaceX Starship|SpaceX Starship]], a [[Astronomy:Reusable launch vehicle|fully reusable]] [[Engineering:Space vehicle|space vehicle]] under development since 2018. To achieve a large payload, the spacecraft would first enter Earth orbit, where it is expected to be refueled before it departs to Mars. After landing on Mars, the spacecraft would be loaded with locally-produced propellants to return to Earth. The expected payload for the Starship/Super Heavy is to inject between {{convert|100|-|150|t|lb}} to Mars.<ref name=Inverse20170925/>

SpaceX intends to concentrate its resources on the [[Engineering:Space transport|transportation]] part of the Mars colonization project, including the design of a propellant plant based on the Sabatier process that will be deployed on Mars to synthesize [[Chemistry:Methane|methane]] and [[Physics:Liquid oxygen|liquid oxygen]] as rocket propellants from the local supply of atmospheric [[Chemistry:Carbon dioxide|carbon dioxide]] and ground-accessible [[Earth:Ice|water ice]].<ref name="AIAA 2017-5335">
{{cite conference |last=Paul|first=Roy A. |last2=Lamontagne|first2=Michael |last3=Senna|first3=Bernardo |title=Proposed ITS Pressurized Cargo Modules To Initiate a Chemical Industry on Mars |conference=AIAA SPACE Forum |date=September 13, 2017 |doi=10.2514/6.2017-5335 }}</ref> However, Musk has advocated since 2016 a larger set of long-term Mars settlement objectives, going far beyond what SpaceX projects to build; any successful colonization would ultimately involve many more economic actors—whether individuals, companies, or governments—to facilitate the growth of the human presence on Mars over many decades.<ref name=ars20160928>{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Eric |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/musks-mars-moment-audacity-madness-brilliance-or-maybe-all-three/ |title=Musk's Mars moment: Audacity, madness, brilliance—or maybe all three |work=[[Ars Technica]] |date=2016-09-28 |accessdate=2016-10-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013144816/http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/musks-mars-moment-audacity-madness-brilliance-or-maybe-all-three/ |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=sn20161010/><ref name=sfi20160927/>

==History==
In 2001, Musk conceptualized "Mars Oasis", a project to land a miniature experimental greenhouse containing seeds with dehydrated gel on Mars to grow plants on [[Astronomy:Martian soil|Martian soil]], "so this would be the furthest that life's ever traveled"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://milesobrien.com/?p=3359|title=Miles O'Brien – Journalist}}</ref> in an attempt to regain public interest in space exploration and increase the budget of NASA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3698|title=Elon Musk, Life to Mars Foundation|work=Mars Now, a weekly column|first=John Carter|last=McKnight|publisher=Space Frontier Foundation|date=25 September 2001}}</ref><ref name=spectrum>{{cite news|title=Risky Business|first=Elon|last=Musk|accessdate=April 27, 2014|work=IEEE Spectrum|url=http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/risky-business}}</ref><ref name="youtube.com">{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxTPKIvn--A|title=Elon Musk on dodging a nervous breakdown (2013)|date=16 March 2015|work=YouTube}}</ref> But Musk realized that even with a much larger space budget, travel to Mars would be prohibitively expensive without a fundamental breakthrough in rocket technology.<ref name="youtube.com"/> In October 2001, Musk travelled to Moscow with Jim Cantrell (an aerospace supplies fixer), and Adeo Ressi (his best friend from college), to buy refurbished ICBMs (Dnepr) that could send the envisioned payloads into space.<ref name="A&Ssmithsonian201201">{{cite news|url=http://www.airspacemag.com/space/is-spacex-changing-the-rocket-equation-132285884/?no-ist|title=Is SpaceX Changing the Rocket Equation?|author=Andrew Chaikin|first=|date=|work=Air & Space Smithsonian|accessdate=May 30, 2015|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/641B56u8L?url=http://www.airspacemag.com/space-exploration/Visionary-Launchers-Employees.html?c=y&page=2|archive-date=December 18, 2011|url-status = dead|quote=''Significantly, the Merlin engines—like roughly 80 percent of the components for Falcon and Dragon, including even the flight computers—are made in-house. That’s something SpaceX didn’t originally set out to do, but was driven to by suppliers’ high prices. Mueller recalls asking a vendor for an estimate on a particular engine valve. 'They came back [requesting] like a year and a half in development and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Just way out of whack. And we’re like, ‘No, we need it by this summer, for much, much less money.’ They go, ‘Good luck with that,’ and kind of smirked and left.' Mueller’s people made the valve themselves, and by summer they had qualified it for use with cryogenic propellants. 'That vendor, they iced us for a couple of months,' Mueller says, 'and then they called us back: ‘Hey, we’re willing to do that valve. You guys want to talk about it?’ And we’re like, ‘No, we’re done.’ He goes, ‘What do you mean you’re done?’ ‘We qualified it. We’re done.’ And there was just silence at the end of the line. They were in shock.' That scenario has been repeated to the point where, Mueller says, 'we passionately avoid space vendors.''|df=|}}</ref>

As early as 2007, Elon Musk stated a personal goal of eventually enabling [[Astronomy:Exploration of Mars|human exploration]] and [[Astronomy:Colonization of Mars|settlement of Mars]],<ref name=wired20070522>{{cite news|last=Hoffman|first=Carl|title=Elon Musk Is Betting His Fortune on a Mission Beyond Earth's Orbit|url=https://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-06/ff_space_musk?currentPage=all|accessdate=2014-03-14|newspaper=Wired Magazine|date=2007-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114052527/http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-06/ff_space_musk?currentPage=all|archive-date=November 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=mw20110422>{{cite news|title=Elon Musk: I'll Put a Man on Mars in 10 Years |url=http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/elon-musk-ill-put-a-man-on-mars-in-10-years-2011-04-22/CCF1FC62-BB0D-4561-938C-DF0DEFAD15BA#!CCF1FC62-BB0D-4561-938C-DF0DEFAD15BA |newspaper=Market Watch |date=2011-04-22 |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |location=New York |accessdate=2011-12-01 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/63bvaGo3E?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/elon-musk-ill-put-a-man-on-mars-in-10-years-2011-04-22/CCF1FC62-BB0D-4561-938C-DF0DEFAD15BA |url-status=live |archivedate=2011-12-01 }}</ref> although his personal public interest in Mars goes back at least to 2001.<ref name=sfi20160927/>
Bits of additional information about the mission architecture were released in 2011–2015, including a 2014 statement that initial colonists would arrive at Mars no earlier than the middle of the 2020s.<ref name=dn20121213/>
Company plans in mid-2016 continued to call for the arrival of the first humans on Mars no earlier than 2025.<ref name=wapo-20160613/><ref name=sn20160927>
{{cite news |last=Foust|first=Jeff |url=http://spacenews.com/spacex-unveils-mars-mission-plans/ |title=SpaceX's Mars plans call for massive 42-engine reusable rocket |work=SpaceNews |date=2016-09-27 |accessdate=2016-10-14 |quote=Musk stated it's possible that the first spaceship would be ready for tests in four years, with the booster ready a few years after that, but he shied away from exact schedules in his presentation. 'We're kind of being intentionally fuzzy about the timeline,' he said. 'We're going to try and make as much progress as we can with a very constrained budget.' }}</ref>

Musk stated in a 2011 interview that he hoped to send humans to Mars's surface within 10–20 years,<ref name=mw20110422/> and in late 2012 he stated that he envisioned a Mars colony of tens of thousands with the first colonists arriving no earlier than the middle of the 2020s.<ref name=dn20121213>{{cite news |url=http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/mars-colony-spacex-121126.htm |title=Huge Mars Colony Eyed by SpaceX Founder |date=2012-12-13 |accessdate=2014-03-14 |publisher=Discovery News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115083758/http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/mars-colony-spacex-121126.htm |archive-date=November 15, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=guardian20130717>{{cite news |last=Carroll |first=Rory |title=Elon Musk's mission to Mars |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/17/elon-musk-mission-mars-spacex |accessdate=2014-02-05 |newspaper=TheGuardian |date=2013-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108024353/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/17/elon-musk-mission-mars-spacex |archive-date=January 8, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=pa20140205>{{cite news |last=Messier |first=Doug |title=Elon Musk Talks ISS Flights, Vladimir Putin and Mars |url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/02/05/elon-musk-interview-2/ |newspaper=Parabolic Arc |date=2014-02-05 |access-date=February 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916164003/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/02/05/elon-musk-interview-2/ |archive-date=September 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Development work began in earnest before 2012 when SpaceX started to design the Raptor rocket engine which will propel the [[Engineering:SpaceX Starship|Starship]] launch system. Rocket engine development is one of the longest subprocesses in the design of new rockets.

In October 2012, Musk articulated a high-level plan to build a second reusable rocket system with capabilities substantially beyond the [[Engineering:Falcon 9|Falcon 9]]/[[Engineering:Falcon Heavy|Falcon Heavy]] launch vehicles on which SpaceX had by then spent several billion US dollars.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/spacex-aims-big-with-massive-new-rocket-377687/ |title=SpaceX aims big with massive new rocket |date=October 15, 2012 |author=Zach Rosenberg |accessdate=2015-10-28 |publisher=Flight Global |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703043710/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/spacex-aims-big-with-massive-new-rocket-377687/ |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> This new vehicle was to be "an evolution of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster ... much bigger [than Falcon 9]." But Musk indicated that SpaceX would not be speaking publicly about it until 2013.<ref name=dn20121213/><ref name=sdc20121123>{{cite news |last=Coppinger |first=Rod |title=Huge Mars Colony Eyed by SpaceX Founder Elon Musk |url=http://www.space.com/18596-mars-colony-spacex-elon-musk.html |accessdate=2013-06-10 |newspaper=Space.com |date=2012-11-23 |quote=''an evolution of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster ... much bigger [than Falcon 9], but I don’t think we’re quite ready to state the payload. We’ll speak about that next year. ... Vertical landing is an extremely important breakthrough — extreme, rapid reusability.'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628154029/http://www.space.com/18596-mars-colony-spacex-elon-musk.html |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In June 2013, Musk stated that he intended to hold off any potential IPO of SpaceX shares on the stock market until after the "Mars Colonial Transporter is flying regularly."<ref name=forbes20130606>{{cite news |last=Schaefer |first=Steve |title=SpaceX IPO Cleared For Launch? Elon Musk Says Hold Your Horses |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2013/06/06/with-tesla-and-solarcity-soaring-elon-musk-talks-down-spacex-ipo-plans/ |accessdate=2013-06-10 |newspaper=Forbes |date=2013-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306041303/https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2013/06/06/with-tesla-and-solarcity-soaring-elon-musk-talks-down-spacex-ipo-plans/ |archive-date=March 6, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=tsdc20130606>{{cite news |last=Ciaccia |first=Chris |title=SpaceX IPO: 'Possible in the Very Long Term' |url=http://www.thestreet.com/story/11943630/1/spacex-ipo-possible-in-the-very-long-term.html |accessdate=2013-06-10 |newspaper=The Street |date=2013-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610064002/http://www.thestreet.com/story/11943630/1/spacex-ipo-possible-in-the-very-long-term.html |archive-date=June 10, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2014, media sources speculated that the initial [[Engineering:Flight test|flight test]] of the MCT could occur as early as 2020, in order to fully test the engines under orbital spaceflight conditions; however, any colonization effort was reported to continue to be "deep into the future".<ref name=nbc20150105>{{cite news |last1=Boyle |first1=Alan |title=Coming Soon From SpaceX's Elon Musk: How to Move to Mars |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/coming-soon-spacexs-elon-musk-how-move-mars-n280311 |accessdate=January 8, 2015 |work=NBC News |date=January 5, 2015 |quote=''The Mars transport system will be a completely new architecture. Am hoping to present that towards the end of this year. Good thing we didn't do it sooner, as we have learned a huge amount from Falcon and Dragon.'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108064811/http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/coming-soon-spacexs-elon-musk-how-move-mars-n280311 |archive-date=January 8, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=nsf20140830>{{cite news |last1=Bergin |first1=Chris |title=Battle of the Heavyweight Rockets -- SLS could face Exploration Class rival |url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/08/battle-heavyweight-rockets-sls-exploration-rival/ |accessdate=2014-08-30 |publisher=NASAspaceflight.com |date=2014-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316061403/http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/08/battle-heavyweight-rockets-sls-exploration-rival/ |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In January 2015, Musk said that he hoped to release details in late 2015 of the "completely new architecture" for the system that would enable the colonization of Mars. But those plans changed and, by December 2015, the plan to publicly release additional specifics had moved to 2016.<ref name=gq20151212>{{cite news |last1=Heath |first1=Chris |title=How Elon Musk Plans on Reinventing the World (and Mars) |url=https://www.gq.com/story/elon-musk-mars-spacex-tesla-interview |accessdate=December 12, 2015 |work=GQ |date=December 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212142443/http://www.gq.com/story/elon-musk-mars-spacex-tesla-interview |archive-date=December 12, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2016, Musk indicated that he hoped to describe the architecture for the Mars missions with the next generation SpaceX rocket and spacecraft later in 2016, at the 67th [[Organization:International Astronautical Congress|International Astronautical Congress]] conference,<ref name=smuHK-20160126>{{cite conference |title=2016 StartmeupHK Venture Forum - Elon Musk on Entrepreneurship and Innovation |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRqB5iqWA8 |conference=StartmeupHK Venture Forum--2016 |conferenceurl=http://www.startmeup.hk/en/startmeuphk-festival-2016/forum/ |publisher=Invest Hong Kong |place=Hong Kong |date=January 26, 2016 |access-date=January 28, 2016 |quote=(SpaceX discussion at 30:15-31:40) We'll have the next generation rocket and spacecraft, beyond the Falcon and Dragon series […] I'm hoping to describe that architecture later this year at the International Astronautical Congress. which is the big international space event every year. […] First flights to Mars?  We're hoping to do that in around 2025 […] nine years from now or thereabouts. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128220018/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRqB5iqWA8 |archive-date=January 28, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> in September 2016.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160106204229/http://www.iac2016.org/ http://www.iac2016.org/], accessed January 28, 2016.</ref><ref name=gw-20160128>{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |url=http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacexs-elon-musk-wants-to-go-into-space-by-2021-and-start-sending-people-to-mars-by-2025/ |title=SpaceX's Elon Musk wants to go into space by 2021 and start Mars missions by 2025 |work=GeekWire |date=January 27, 2016 |access-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130084338/http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacexs-elon-musk-wants-to-go-into-space-by-2021-and-start-sending-people-to-mars-by-2025/ |archive-date=January 30, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Musk stated in June 2016 that the first unmanned MCT Mars flight was planned for departure in 2022, to be followed by the first manned MCT Mars flight departing in 2024.<ref name=wapo-20160613>{{cite news |title=Elon Musk provides new details on his 'mind blowing' mission to Mars |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/10/Elon-musk-provides-new-details-on-his-mind-blowing-mission-to-mars/ |work={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |first=Christian |last=Davenport |date=June 13, 2016 |access-date=June 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614074241/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/10/elon-musk-provides-new-details-on-his-mind-blowing-mission-to-mars/ |archive-date=June 14, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=gw-20160610 /> By mid-September 2016, Musk noted that the MCT name would not continue, as the system would be able to "go well beyond Mars", and that a new name would be needed. This became the ''Interplanetary Transport System'' (''ITS''),<ref name=ars20160918>{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Eric |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/spacexs-interplanetary-transport-system-will-go-well-beyond-mars/ |title=Elon Musk scales up his ambitions, considering going "well beyond" Mars |work=[[Ars Technica]] |date=September 18, 2016 |access-date=September 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920000810/http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/spacexs-interplanetary-transport-system-will-go-well-beyond-mars/ |archive-date=September 20, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> a name that would, in the event, last for just one year.

On September 27, 2016, at the 67th annual meeting of the [[Organization:International Astronautical Congress|International Astronautical Congress]], Musk unveiled substantial details of the design for the transport vehicles—including size, construction material, number and type of engines, thrust, cargo and passenger payload capabilities, on-orbit propellant-tanker refills, representative transit times, etc.—as well as a few details of portions of the Mars-side and Earth-side infrastructure that SpaceX intends to build to support the flight vehicles. In addition, Musk championed a larger [[Systems theory|systemic vision]], a vision for a [[Spontaneous order|bottom-up]] [[Philosophy:Emergence|emergent order]] of other interested parties—whether companies, individuals, or governments—to utilize the new and radically lower-cost transport infrastructure to build up a [[Astronomy:Colonization of Mars|sustainable human civilization on Mars]], potentially, on numerous other locations around the [[Astronomy:Solar System|Solar System]], by [[Social:Innovation|innovating]] and [[Finance:Supply (economics)|meeting]] the [[Finance:Demand|demand]] that such a growing venture would occasion.<ref name=ars20160928/><ref name=sn20161010/> In the 2016 iteration, the system technology was specifically envisioned to eventually support [[Astronomy:Space exploration|exploration missions]] to other locations in the [[Astronomy:Solar System|Solar System]] including the moons of [[Astronomy:Jupiter|Jupiter]] and [[Astronomy:Saturn|Saturn]].<ref name=NYT-20160927>{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=Elon Musk's Plan: Get Humans to Mars, and Beyond |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/science/elon-musk-spacex-mars-exploration.html |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=September 27, 2016 |access-date=September 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929095051/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/science/elon-musk-spacex-mars-exploration.html |archive-date=September 29, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 2017, SpaceX made public plans for the [[Engineering:Interplanetary Transport System|Interplanetary Transport System]] based on a smaller launch vehicle and spacecraft. The new system architecture has "evolved quite a bit" since the November 2016 articulation of the ITS. A key driver of the new architecture is to make the new system useful for substantial Earth-orbit and cislunar launches so that the new system might [[Rate of return|pay for itself]], in part, through economic spaceflight activities in the near-Earth space zone.<ref name=issR&Dconf20170719-49:48>
{{cite AV media |people=Elon Musk |date=July 19, 2017 |title=Elon Musk, ISS R&D Conference |trans-title= |medium=video |language= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqvBhhTtUm4?t=852 |access-date=September 13, 2017 |format= |time=49:48–51:35 |location=ISS R&D Conference, Washington DC, USA |publisher= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote=''the updated version of the Mars architecture: Because it has evolved quite a bit since that last talk. ... The key thing that I figured out is how do you pay for it?  if we downsize the Mars vehicle, make it capable of doing Earth-orbit activity as well as Mars activity, maybe we can pay for it by using it for Earth-orbit activity. That is one of the key elements in the new architecture. It is similar to what was shown at IAC, but a little bit smaller.  Still big, but this one has a shot at being real on the economic front.'' }}</ref><ref name=verge-20170929>{{cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/29/16378802/elon-musk-mars-plan-rocket-spaceship-colonization-iac-2017 |title=Elon Musk plans to put all of SpaceX's resources into its Mars rocket |last=Grush |first=Loren |work=[[The Verge]] |date=September 29, 2017 |access-date=September 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929071320/https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/29/16378802/elon-musk-mars-plan-rocket-spaceship-colonization-iac-2017 |archive-date=September 29, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Super Heavy is designed to fulfill the Mars transportation goals while also launching satellites, servicing the ISS, flying humans and cargo to the Moon, and enabling ballistic transport of passengers on Earth as a substitute to long-haul airline flights.<ref name=neowin-20170929>{{cite news |url=https://www.neowin.net/news/elon-musks-plans-for-the-big-fucking-rocket-mars-moon-and-earth |title=Elon Musk's plans for the Big Fucking Rocket: Mars, Moon, and Earth |last=Blewitt |first=Richard Tyr |work=Neowin |date=September 29, 2017 |access-date=September 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929153255/https://www.neowin.net/news/elon-musks-plans-for-the-big-fucking-rocket-mars-moon-and-earth |archive-date=September 29, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

SpaceX President and [[Social:Chief operating officer|COO]] Gwynne Shotwell expressed in early 2018 that, even with the smaller 9-meter architecture, she sees the program as only the first step to interplanetary and interstellar spaceflight endeavors for SpaceX.<ref name=trati20180424>
{{cite news |last=Ralph|first=Eric |url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-shotwell-bfr-mars-rocket-texas/ |title=SpaceX execs bullish on BFR as Mars rocket test facilities expand in Texas |work=Teslarati |date=24 April 2018 |accessdate=16 August 2019 |quote=''[Shotwell] believed that spreading human presence throughout the Sol System was only 'the first step [towards] moving to other solar systems and potentially other galaxies; I think this is the only time I ever out-vision Elon.{{'}}'' }}</ref>

Musk indicated in November 2018 that "We've recently made a number of breakthroughs [that I am] just really fired up about." and that, as a result, he foresees a 70 percent probability that he personally would go to Mars.  He answered an interviewer's question that included a presumption that "a Mars voyage could be an escape hatch for the rich" by saying:<ref name=axios20181125>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Mark |last2=VanderHei |first2=Jim |url=https://www.axios.com/elon-musk-mars-space-x-14c01761-d045-4da0-924b-322fb6a109ce.html |title=Elon Musk: There's a 70% chance that I personally go to Mars |work=Axios |date=November 26, 2018 |accessdate=November 25, 2018 |quote=''We've recently made a number of breakthroughs [that I am] just really fired up about.'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125165548/https://www.axios.com/elon-musk-mars-space-x-14c01761-d045-4da0-924b-322fb6a109ce.html |archive-date=November 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> <blockquote>"No. Your probability of dying on Mars is much higher than Earth. Really the ad for going to Mars would be like Shackleton’s ad for going to the Antarctic [in 1914].<!-- "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success." --> It’s gonna be hard. There’s a good chance of death, going in a little can through deep space.  You might land successfully.  Once you land successfully, ... there's a good chance you'll die there.  We think you can come back; but we're not sure."</blockquote>

==Description==
[[File:Starship passing the Moon-2018 version.jpg|thumb|300px|Artist's concept of SpaceX Starship passing by the Moon]]
SpaceX's Mars objectives, and the specific mission architectures and launch vehicle designs that might be able to participate in parts of that architecture, have varied over the years, and only partial information has been publicly released. However, once the architecture was unveiled in late 2016, all launch vehicles, spacecraft, and ground infrastructure have shared several basic elements.

=== Overview and major elements ===

The SpaceX Mars architecture, first detailed publicly in 2016, consists of a combination of several elements that are key—according to Musk—to making long-duration beyond Earth orbit (BEO) spaceflights possible by reducing the cost per ton delivered to Mars:<ref name="spacex-itsvideo201609-09:20">{{cite AV media |people=Elon Musk |date=September 27, 2016 |title=Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species |medium=video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Uyfqi_TE8 |access-date=October 10, 2016 |time=9:20–10:10 |location=IAC67, Guadalajara, Mexico |publisher=SpaceX |quote=''So it is a bit tricky. Because we have to figure out how to improve the cost of the trips to Mars by five million percent ... translates to an improvement of approximately 4 1/2 orders of magnitude. These are the key elements that are needed in order to achieve a 4 1/2 order of magnitude improvement.  Most of the improvement would come from full reusability—somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 orders of magnitude—and then the other 2 orders of magnitude would come from refilling in orbit, propellant production on Mars, and choosing the right propellant.'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010103549/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Uyfqi_TE8 |archive-date=October 10, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=spacex-itspresentation201609>
{{cite web |url=http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/mars_presentation.pdf |publisher=[[Company:SpaceX|SpaceX]] |title=Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species |date=2016-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928040332/http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/mars_presentation.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-28 |accessdate=2016-09-29}}</ref><ref>[http://www.seeker.com/musk-this-is-how-spacex-will-colonize-mars-and-beyond-2019588513.htmlMusk: This Is How SpaceX Will Explore Mars and Beyond] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022200710/http://www.seeker.com/musk-this-is-how-spacex-will-colonize-mars-and-beyond-2019588513.htmlMusk%3A/ |date=2016-10-22 }}, Seeker, September 27, 2016.</ref><!-- Seeker article: Apollo program ... if we were to use a similar rocket system to get astronauts to Mars, it would cost around $10 billion per person, said Musk. -->

Additional detail on the Mars transportation architecture was added by Musk in 2017.<ref name=musk20170929>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdUX3ypDVwI Becoming a Multiplanetary Species] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309212706/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdUX3ypDVwI |date=March 9, 2018 }}, September 29, 2017, 68th annual meeting of the [[Organization:International Astronautical Congress|International Astronautical Congress]] in Adelaide, Australia</ref>{{rp|33:30–36:55}}
* a new fully [[Astronomy:Reusable launch vehicle|reusable]] [[Engineering:Super heavy-lift launch vehicle|super heavy-lift launch vehicle]] that consists of a reusable booster stage and a reusable integrated second-stage-with-spacecraft that comes in at least two versions: a large, long-duration, [[Astronomy:Interplanetary spaceflight|beyond-Earth-orbit]] [[Engineering:Spacecraft|spacecraft]] capable of carrying passengers, bulk cargo, or propellant cargo, to other Solar System destinations.<ref name="nsf20160927a" /><ref name="gq20151212" /> The combination of a second-stage of a launch vehicle with a long-duration [[Engineering:Spacecraft|spacecraft]] is unusual for any space mission architecture, and has not been seen in previous spaceflight technology.
*[[Chemistry:Propellant depot|refilling of propellants in orbit]], specifically to enable the long-journey spacecraft to expend almost all of its propellant load during the launch to [[Astronomy:Low Earth orbit|low Earth orbit]] while it serves as the second stage of the launch vehicle, and then—after refilling on orbit—provide the significant amount of energy necessary to put the spacecraft onto an interplanetary trajectory.
*[[Astronomy:Rocket propellant resource extraction on Mars|propellant production on the surface of Mars]]: to enable the return trip back to Earth and support reuse of the spacecraft, enabling significantly lower [[Finance:Cost|cost]] to transport cargo and passengers to distant destinations. Once again, the large propellant tanks in the integrated space vehicle are filled remotely.
* selection of the right propellant: [[Chemistry:Methane|Methane]] (CH<sub>4</sub>)/[[Chemistry:Oxygen|oxygen]] (O<sub>2</sub>)—also known as "deep cryo methalox"<ref name="spacex-itsvideo201609-09:20" />{{rp|16:25}}<!-- quotation at 16:25 -->—was selected as it was considered better than other common space vehicle propellants like Kerolox or Hydrolox principally due to ease of production on Mars and the lower cost of the propellants on Earth when evaluated from an overall system optimization perspective. Methalox was considered equivalent to one of the other primary options in terms of vehicle reusability, on-orbit propellant transfer, and appropriateness for super-heavy vehicles.<!-- sourced from <ref name=spacex-itspresentation201609/>, but uneccessary to repeat here since the entire four elements, as the prose stands on September 29, 2016, is from that source. --><ref name="sfi20160927">{{cite news |url= http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/elon-musk-shows-off-interplanetary-transport-system/ |title= Elon Musk Shows Off Interplanetary Transport System |publisher= Spaceflight Insider |last= Richardson |first= Derek |date= September 27, 2016 |accessdate= October 3, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161001225649/http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/elon-musk-shows-off-interplanetary-transport-system/ |archive-date= October 1, 2016 |url-status= live }}</ref><!-- the sfi20160927 secondary source provides additional detail and support for the methalox selection, beyond what is in primary source spacex-itspresentation201609 -->

=== Spacecraft ===
{{main|Engineering:SpaceX Starship}}
As of 2020, the SpaceX Starship is planned to be a long-duration [[Engineering:Cargo spacecraft|cargo]]- and [[Astronomy:Human spaceflight|passenger]]-carrying spacecraft launched as the second stage of a [[Astronomy:Reusable launch vehicle|reusable launch vehicle]].<ref name=ars20190929>{{cite news |last=Berger|first=Eric |url=https://arstechnica.com/features/2019/09/after-starship-unveiling-mars-seems-a-little-closer/ |title=Elon Musk, Man of Steel, reveals his stainless Starship |work=[[Ars Technica]] |date=29 September 2019 |accessdate=30 September 2019 }}</ref><ref name="engadget20181120">{{cite news |last1=Lawler |first1=Richard |title=SpaceX BFR has a new name: Starship |url=https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/20/starship-bfr-spacex/ |accessdate=21 November 2018 |work=Engadget |date=20 November 2018}}</ref> While it will be tested on its own initially, it will be used on [[Engineering:Orbital spaceflight|orbital launches]] with an additional [[Engineering:Booster (rocketry)|booster]] stage, the Super Heavy, where Starship will serve as the second stage on a [[Astronomy:Two-stage-to-orbit|two-stage-to-orbit]] launch vehicle.<ref name="gw20181119">{{cite news|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2018/goodbye-bfr-hello-starship-elon-musk-gives-classic-name-mars-spaceship/|title=Goodbye, BFR … hello, Starship: Elon Musk gives a classic name to his Mars spaceship|last=Boyle|first=Alan|date=19 November 2018|work=GeekWire|accessdate=22 November 2018|quote=Starship is the spaceship/upper stage & Super Heavy is the rocket booster needed to escape Earth’s deep gravity well (not needed for other planets or moons)|authorlink=Alan Boyle}}</ref> The combination of spacecraft and booster is called Starship as well.<ref name="spaceXstarship">{{cite web|url=https://www.spacex.com/starship|title=Starship|publisher=SpaceX|accessdate=2 October 2019}}</ref>

===Mars propellant plant and base===
Musk plans to build a crewed base on Mars for an extended surface presence, which he hopes will grow into a self-sufficient [[Astronomy:Colonization of Mars|colony]].<ref name="Eric Ralf">[https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-first-mars-bound-bfr-spaceships-martian-habitats/ "SpaceX wants to use the first Mars-bound BFR spaceships as Martian habitats"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109183003/https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-first-mars-bound-bfr-spaceships-martian-habitats/ |date=November 9, 2018 }}. Eric Ralph, ''TeslaRati''. August 27, 2018.</ref><ref name="Rayne 2018">[https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/mars-2024-elon-musk "We're going to Mars by 2024 if Elon Musk has anything to say about it"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203050403/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/mars-2024-elon-musk |date=February 3, 2019 }}. Elizabeth Rayne, ''SyFy Wire''. August 15, 2018.</ref> A successful colonization would ultimately involve many more economic actors—whether individuals, companies, or governments—to facilitate the growth of the human presence on Mars over many decades.<ref name=ars20160928/><ref name=sn20161010 /><ref name=gw-20160927>{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |url=http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-colonize-mars/ |title=SpaceX's Elon Musk makes the big pitch for his decades-long plan to colonize Mars |work=GeekWire |date=September 27, 2016 |access-date=October 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003205159/http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-colonize-mars/ |archive-date=October 3, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since the Starships are also reusable, Musk plans on refueling them in low Earth orbit first, and then again on the surface of Mars for their return to Earth. During the first phase, he plans to launch several Starships to transport and assemble a propellant plant and start to build up a base.<ref name="Crunch 2017">[https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/28/everything-spacex-revealed-about-its-updated-plan-to-reach-mars-by-2022/ "Everything SpaceX revealed about its updated plan to reach Mars by 2022"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230111054/https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/28/everything-spacex-revealed-about-its-updated-plan-to-reach-mars-by-2022/ |date=December 30, 2018 }}. Darrell Etherington, ''TechCrunch''. September 29, 2017, accessed September 14, 2018.</ref>  The propellant plant would produce methane ([[Chemistry:Methane|{{Chem|CH|4}}]]) and liquid oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>) from [[Astronomy:Water on Mars#Ground ice|sub-surface water ice]] and atmospheric {{chem|CO|2}}.<ref name=musk201803journal/>

Two robotic cargo flights, the first of which may be named "Heart of Gold",<ref>{{cite news |last=Brandom |first=Russell |date=September 27, 2016 |title=Elon Musk might name his first Mars-bound spaceship after ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/27/13081036/spacex-mars-spaceship-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy |newspaper=[[The Verge]] |accessdate=2018-09-19 |quote='We're thinking about names,' Musk told the crowd. 'The first ship that goes to Mars, my current favorite for it is "Heart of Gold" from ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''.{{'-}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919024819/https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/27/13081036/spacex-mars-spaceship-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy |archive-date=September 19, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> were originally aspirationally slated to be launched in 2022 to deliver a massive array of solar panels,<ref name="Rayne 2018"/> mining equipment,<ref name="Crunch 2017"/> as well as deliver surface vehicles, food and life support infrastructure.<ref name="Wooster 2018">{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Cz6vF4ONE |author=Paul Wooster |title=SpaceX's Plans for Mars |work=21st Annual International Mars Society Convention |publisher=Mars Society |date=August 29, 2018 |access-date=September 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904130853/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Cz6vF4ONE |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, it was originally planned that in 2024, the mission concept would have four more ''Starships'' follow: two robotic cargo flights, and two crewed flights will be launched to set up the propellant production plant, deploy the [[Physics:Photovoltaic power station|solar park]] and landing pads, and assemble greenhouses.<ref name="Wooster 2018"/> Each landed mass will be at least 100 tons of usable payload, in addition to the spaceship's dry mass of 85 tons.<ref name="Wooster 2018"/><!--cited video, at mark 23:50 min-->

The first temporary habitats will be their own crewed Starships, as it is planned for them to have life-support systems.<ref name="Eric Ralf"/><ref name="Wooster 2018"/> However, the robotic Starship cargo flights will be refueled for their return trip to Earth whenever possible.<ref name="Eric Ralf"/> For a sustainable base, it is proposed that the landing zone be located at less than 40° latitude for best solar power production, relatively warm temperature, and critically: it must be near a massive sub-surface water ice deposit.<ref name="Wooster 2018"/>  The quantity and purity of the water ice must be appropriate. A preliminary study by SpaceX estimates the propellant plant is required to mine water ice and filter its impurities at a rate of 1 ton per day.<ref name="Wooster 2018"/> The overall unit conversion rate expected, based on a 2011 prototype test operation, is one metric ton of O<sub>2</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub> propellant per 17 megawatt-hours energy input from solar power.<ref name="Hoeser 23 April 2018">[http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3479/1 "Engineering Mars commercial rocket propellant production for the Big Falcon Rocket (part 1)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019202754/http://thespacereview.com/article/3479/1 |date=October 19, 2018 }}. Steve Hoeser, ''The Space Review''. April 23, 2018.</ref> The total projected power needed to produce a single full load of propellant for a SpaceX Starship is in the neighborhood of {{convert|16|GWh}} of locally Martian-produced power.<ref name="Hoeser 30 April 2018">[http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3484/1 "Engineering Mars commercial rocket propellant production for the Big Falcon Rocket (part 2)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408132631/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3484/1 |date=April 8, 2019 }}. Steve Hoeser, ''The Space Review''. April 30, 2018.</ref> To produce the power for one load in 26 months would require just under one megawatt of continuous electric power. A ground-based array of thin-film solar panels to produce sufficient power would have an estimated area of just over {{convert|56,200|m2|sp=us}}; with related equipment, the required mass is estimated to fall well within a single Starship Mars transport capability of between {{convert|100|-|150|t|lb|sp=us}}. Alternatively, extrapolating from recent NASA research into fission reactors for deep space missions, it is estimated that sufficient fission-reactor based electric power infrastructure might mass between {{convert|210|and|216|t|lb|sp=us}}, requiring at least two Starships for transport. A Mars power system using solar and vertical axis wind turbine design to produce sufficient power might mass just over {{convert|3.15|t|lb|sp=us}}.<ref name="Hoeser 7 May 2018">[http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3487/1 "Engineering Mars commercial rocket propellant production for the Big Falcon Rocket (part 3)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408132632/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3487/1 |date=April 8, 2019 }}. Steve Hoeser, ''The Space Review''. May 7, 2018.</ref>

The biggest lingering questions about SpaceX's Mars habitation plans have to do with [[Astronomy:Effect of spaceflight on the human body|health hazards]] of prolonged space travel, radiation, weightlessness, and habitation in the low gravity of Mars, which is 38% of the gravity of Earth.<ref name="TheVerge">[https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/28/13087110/spacex-elon-musk-mars-plan-habitat-radiation-funding-questions "The biggest lingering questions about SpaceX's Mars colonization plans"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227020815/https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/28/13087110/spacex-elon-musk-mars-plan-habitat-radiation-funding-questions |date=December 27, 2018 }}. Loren Grush, ''The Verge''. September 28, 2016.</ref><ref name="Mosher 2018">[https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-meeting-mars-mission-planning-workshop-2018-8 "SpaceX is quietly planning Mars-landing missions with the help of NASA and other spaceflight experts. It's about time"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306135502/https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-meeting-mars-mission-planning-workshop-2018-8 |date=March 6, 2019 }}. Dave Mosher, ''Business Insider''. August 11, 2018. Quote: "Keeping the human body healthy in space is another challenge that Porterfield said SpaceX needs to figure out."</ref><ref>[https://www.inverse.com/article/17723-spacex-mars-elon-musk-2025-colony-mission "What SpaceX Needs to Accomplish Before Colonizing Mars"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029231953/https://www.inverse.com/article/17723-spacex-mars-elon-musk-2025-colony-mission |date=October 29, 2018 }}. Neel V. Patel, ''The Inverse''. June 30, 2016. "Space radiation is perhaps the biggest issue at play, and it's not quite clear if Musk has a good understanding of how it works and the extent to which it's stopping us from sending astronauts to far off worlds.&nbsp;... For Musk and his colleagues to move forward and simply disregard the problem posed by cosmic rays would be insanely irresponsible."</ref>

=== Launch site ===

As of September 2017, SpaceX stated that their next-generation launch vehicle is expected to replace the existing SpaceX launch vehicles—[[Engineering:Falcon 9|Falcon 9]] and [[Engineering:Falcon Heavy|Falcon Heavy]]—as well as the Dragon spacecraft, and that is the launch vehicle that would be used to support the SpaceX Mars space transport architecture.<ref name=musk201803journal>{{cite journal |last1=Musk|first1=Elon |title=Making Life Multi-Planetary |journal=New Space |date=March 1, 2018 |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=2–11 |doi=10.1089/space.2018.29013.emu |bibcode=2018NewSp...6....2M }}</ref> The SpaceX leased launch facility at LC-39A will be used to launch Super Heavy.<ref name=nsf20160927a/>

When their earlier concept, then-named "Mars Colonial Transporter," was initially discussed in March 2014, no launch site had yet been selected for the super-heavy lift rocket and SpaceX indicated at the time that their [[Astronomy:Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39#39A|leased facility at historic Launch Pad 39A]] would not be large enough to accommodate the vehicle as it was understood conceptually in 2014, and that therefore a new site would need to be built in order to launch the {{nowrap|>10-meter diameter}} rocket.<ref name=tss20140321a>{{cite AV media|people=Gwynne Shotwell |date=March 21, 2014 |title=Broadcast 2212: Special Edition, interview with Gwynne Shotwell |medium=audio file |url=http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2212-BWB-2014-03-21.mp3 |accessdate=March 22, 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322013556/http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2212-BWB-2014-03-21.mp3 |archivedate=March 22, 2014 |format=mp3 |time=20:00–21:10 and 22:15–22:35 |publisher=The Space Show |id=2212 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, it was later revealed that the optimized size of the Raptor engine would be fairly close to the physical size of the Merlin 1D (although each engine has approximately three times the thrust), allowing the use of LC-39A for Super Heavy.<ref name=nsf20160927a/>

During a groundbreaking ceremony for the SpaceX South Texas Launch Site in September 2014, Elon Musk mused that the first person to go to another planet could possibly launch from Texas.<ref name=tm20140923>{{cite news|last1=Solomon|first1=Dan|title=SpaceX Plans To Send People From Brownsville To Mars In Order To Save Mankind|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/daily-post/spacex-plans-send-people-brownsville-mars-order-save-mankind|accessdate=September 24, 2014|work=TexasMonthly|date=September 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140928180145/http://www.texasmonthly.com/daily-post/spacex-plans-send-people-brownsville-mars-order-save-mankind|archive-date=September 28, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Musk stated in September 2016 that the launch vehicle may launch from more than one site.

==Mission concepts==
=== Lunar tourism mission ===
{{main|Astronomy:DearMoon project}}
On September 14, 2018, SpaceX announced that a contracted passenger would be launched aboard the Starship to flyby the Moon in 2023.<ref name="teslarati_moonflight">{{cite news |author=Eric Ralph |title=SpaceX has signed a private passenger for the first BFR launch around the Moon |url=https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-private-passenger-bfr-moon-mission/ |accessdate=14 September 2018 |date=14 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="grush">{{cite web |last1=Grush |first1=Loren |title=SpaceX says it will send someone around the Moon on its future monster rocket |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/13/17857872/spacex-moon-trip-passenger-announcement-bfr |date=14 September 2018 |publisher=The Verge |accessdate=15 September 2018}}</ref> The passenger is the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. The Starship will have a pressurized volume of {{cvt|1000|m3|ft3}}, large common areas, central storage, a galley, and a solar storm shelter.<ref name="68IAC-trans">{{cite web | url=http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/making_life_multiplanetary_transcript_2017.pdf | title=Making Life Multiplanetary: Abridged transcript of Elon Musk's presentation to the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia | publisher=SpaceX | date=September 2017}}</ref>

=== Mars early missions ===
Musk has indicated that the earliest SpaceX-sponsored missions would have a smaller crew and use much of the pressurized space for cargo.<ref name=gw20161023/>

As envisioned in 2016, the first crewed Mars missions might be expected to have approximately 12 people, with the primary goal to "build out and troubleshoot the propellant plant and Mars Base Alpha power system" as well as a "rudimentary base." In the event of an emergency, the spaceship would be able to return to Earth without having to wait a full 26 months for the next synodic period.<ref name=gw20161023>{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |url=http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-geeks-out-mars-reddit/ |title=SpaceX's Elon Musk geeks out over Mars interplanetary transport plan on Reddit |work=GeekWire |date=2016-10-23 |accessdate=2016-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024013759/http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-geeks-out-mars-reddit/ |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before any people are transported to Mars, some number of cargo missions would be undertaken first in order to transport the requisite equipment, [[Astronomy:Mars habitat|habitats]] and supplies.<ref name=tss20140321b>
{{cite AV media|people=Gwynne Shotwell |date=2014-03-21 |title=Broadcast 2212: Special Edition, interview with Gwynne Shotwell |medium=audio file |url=http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2212-BWB-2014-03-21.mp3 |accessdate=2014-03-22 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322013556/http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2212-BWB-2014-03-21.mp3 |archivedate=2014-03-22 |format=mp3 |time=29:45–30:40 |publisher=The Space Show |id=2212 |quote=''would have to throw a bunch of stuff before you start putting people there. ... It is a transportation system between Earth and Mars.'' |url-status=dead }}</ref> Equipment that would accompany the early groups would include "machines to produce fertilizer, methane and oxygen from Mars' atmospheric nitrogen and carbon dioxide and the planet's subsurface water ice" as well as construction materials to build transparent domes for crop growth.<ref name=dn20121213/>

The early concepts for "green living space" habitats include glass panes with a carbon-fiber-frame geodesic domes, and "a lot of [[Engineering:Automated mining|miner/tunneling]] [[Engineering:Autonomous robot|droids]] [for building] out a huge amount of pressurized space for industrial operations." But these are merely conceptual and not a detailed design plan.<ref name=gw20161023/>

=== Mars settlement concept ===

As of 2016 when publicly discussed, SpaceX the company is concentrating its resources on the [[Engineering:Space transport|transportation]] part of the overall Mars architecture project as well as an [[Engineering:Autonomous robot|autonomous]] propellant plant that could be deployed on Mars to produce methane and oxygen rocket propellants from local resources. If built, and if planned objectives are achieved, then the transport cost of getting material and people to space, and across the inner Solar System, will be reduced by several orders of magnitude. SpaceX CEO [[Biography:Elon Musk|Elon Musk]] is championing a much larger set of long-term Mars settlement objectives, ones that take advantage of these lower transport costs to go far beyond what the SpaceX company will build and that will ultimately involve many more economic actors—whether individual, company, or government—to [[Philosophy:Emergence|build out]] the settlement over many decades.<ref name=ars20160928/><ref name=sn20161010/>

In addition to explicit SpaceX plans and concepts for a transportation system and early missions, Musk has personally been a very public exponent of a large systemic vision for building a sustainable human presence on Mars over the very long term<!-- perhaps, expand with Musk's stated rationale for this -->, a vision well beyond what his company or he personally can effect. The growth of such a system over decades cannot be planned in every detail, but is rather a [[Complex adaptive system|complex adaptive system]] that will come about only as others make their own independent choices as to how they might, or might not, connect with the broader "system" of an incipient (and later, growing) Mars settlement. Musk sees the new and radically lower-cost transport infrastructure facilitating the buildup of a [[Spontaneous order|bottom-up]] economic order of other interested parties—whether companies, individuals, or governments—who will innovate and [[Finance:Supply (economics)|supply]] the demand that such a growing venture would occasion.<ref name=ars20160928/><ref name=sn20161010/>

While the initial SpaceX Mars settlement would start very small, with an initial group of about a dozen people,<ref name=gw20161023/> with time, Musk hopes that such an outpost would grow into something much larger and become self-sustaining, at least 1 million people. According to Musk,<blockquote>Even at a million people you’re assuming an incredible amount of productivity per person, because you would need to recreate the entire industrial base on Mars. You would need to mine and refine all of these different materials, in a much more difficult environment than Earth. There would be no trees growing. There would be no oxygen or nitrogen that are just there. No oil.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Excluding organic growth, if you could take 100 people at a time, you would need 10,000 trips to get to a million people. But you would also need a lot of cargo to support those people. In fact, your cargo to person ratio is going to be quite high. It would probably be 10 cargo trips for every human trip, so more like 100,000 trips. And we’re talking 100,000 trips of a giant spaceship.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://aeon.co/magazine/technology/the-elon-musk-interview-on-mars/| title=Elon Musk puts his case for a multi-planet civilisat...| author=Ross Andersen| date=30 September 2014| work=Aeon| accessdate=27 January 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612073942/http://aeon.co/magazine/technology/the-elon-musk-interview-on-mars/| archive-date=June 12, 2015| url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>The notional journeys outlined in the November 2016 talk would require 80 to 150 days of transit time,<ref name=gw-20160927/> with an average trip time to Mars of approximately 115 days (for the nine synodic periods occurring between 2020 and 2037).<ref name=spacex-itspresentation201609/> In 2012, Musk stated an aspirational price goal for such a trip might be on the order of {{USD|500,000}} per person,<ref name="dn20121213" /> but in 2016 he mentioned that he believed long-term [[Finance:Marginal cost|costs]] might become as low as {{USD|200,000}}.<ref name=gw-20160927 />

{{asof|2016|09}}, the project has financial commitments only from SpaceX and Musk's personal capital. ''{{wipe|The Washington Post}}'' pointed out that "The [US] government doesn't have the budget for Mars colonization. Thus, the private sector would have to see Mars as an attractive business environment. Musk is willing to pour his wealth into the project" but it will not be enough to build the colony he envisions.<ref name=wapo-20160928>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/09/28/elon-musk-unveils-mars-colonization-plan-but-dont-pack-your-bags-just-yet/ |title=Elon Musk unveils Mars colonization plan, but don't pack your bags just yet |work={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |first=Joel |last=Achenbach |date=September 28, 2016 |access-date=October 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022142637/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/09/28/elon-musk-unveils-mars-colonization-plan-but-dont-pack-your-bags-just-yet/ |archive-date=October 22, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2019, Musk said that in his opinion it would be theoretically possible for a self-sustaining city on Mars to emerge by 2050.<ref>[https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1110329210332053504 possible to make a self-sustaining city on Mars by 2050] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402022248/https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1110329210332053504 |date=April 2, 2019 }}, 25 March 20190, accessed March 27, 2019.</ref>

=== Outer planet concepts ===
The overview presentation on the Mars architecture given by Musk in September 2016 included concept slides outlining missions to the [[Astronomy:Saturn|Saturn]]ian moon [[Astronomy:Enceladus|Enceladus]], the [[Astronomy:Jupiter|Jovian]] moon [[Astronomy:Europa (moon)|Europa]], [[Astronomy:Kuiper belt|Kuiper belt]] objects, a fuel depot on [[Astronomy:Pluto|Pluto]] and even the uses to take payloads to the Oort Cloud.<ref name=nsf20160927a>{{cite news |last=Bergin |first=Chris |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/spacex-reveals-mars-game-changer-colonization-plan/ |title=SpaceX reveals ITS Mars game changer via colonization plan |work=NASASpaceFlight.com |date=2016-09-27 |accessdate=2016-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928154300/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/09/spacex-reveals-mars-game-changer-colonization-plan/ |archive-date=September 28, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> "Musk said ... the system can open up the entire Solar System to people. If fuel depots based on this design were put on asteroids or other areas around the Solar System, people could go anywhere they wanted just by planet or moon hopping. 'The goal of SpaceX is to build the transport system ... Once that transport system is built, then there is a tremendous opportunity for anyone that wants to go to Mars to create something new or build a new planet.<!--build a new planet? Clarify.-->{{'}}"<ref name=sfi20160927/> Outer planet trips would likely require propellant refills at Mars, and perhaps other locations in the outer Solar System.<ref name=gw-20160927 /> Plans for the Starship have reiterated the idea of using it for missions to outer planets.<ref name=trati20180424/>

== Funding ==

The extensive [[Engineering:New product development|development]] and manufacture of much of the [[Engineering:Space transport|space transport]] technology has been through 2016, and is being [[Engineering:Private spaceflight|privately funded]] by SpaceX. The entire project is even possible only{{Peacock term|date=April 2020}} as a result of SpaceX multi-faceted approach focusing on the reduction of launch [[Finance:Cost|cost]]s.<ref name=nsf20160927a/>

{{asof|2016|10}}, SpaceX was expending "a few tens of millions of dollars annually on development of the Mars transport concept, which amounts to well under 5 percent of the company’s total expenses",<ref name=gw-20160927 /> but expects that figure to rise to some {{USD|300 million}} per year by around 2018. The cost of all work leading up to the first Mars launch was expected to be "on the order of {{USD|10 billion}}"<ref name=gw-20160927 /> and SpaceX expected to expend that much before it generates any transport revenue.<ref name=sn20161010/> No public update of total costs before revenue was given in 2017 after SpaceX redirected to the small launch vehicle design of the BFR.

Musk indicated in September 2016 that the full build-out of the Mars colonialization plans would likely be funded by both private and public funds. The speed of commercially available Mars transport for both cargo and humans will be driven, in large part, by market demand as well as constrained by the [[Finance:Supply (economics)|technology development and development funding]].<ref name=sn20161010>{{cite news |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=http://www.spacenewsmag.com/feature/can-elon-musk-get-to-mars/ |title=Can Elon Musk get to Mars? |work=SpaceNews |date=2016-10-10 |accessdate=2016-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013071335/http://www.spacenewsmag.com/feature/can-elon-musk-get-to-mars/ |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=gw-20160927 /> In October 2017, he reiterated that "the actual establishment of a base was something that would be handled largely by other companies and organizations. ... 'Our goal is get you there and ensure the basic infrastructure for propellant production and survival is in place', he said, comparing the BFR to the transcontinental railways of the 19th century. 'A vast amount of industry will need to be built on Mars by many other companies and millions of people'.<ref name=inverse20171015>{{cite news |last=Fredette |first=Meagan |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/37414-spacex-elon-musk-reddit-ama-mars |title=SpaceX Will be the "Transcontinental Railway" to Mars, Says Elon Musk |work=Inverse |date=October 15, 2017 |accessdate=April 1, 2019 |quote=Musk: ''Our goal is [to] get you there and ensure the basic infrastructure for propellant production and survival is in place. A rough analogy is that we are trying to build the equivalent of the transcontinental railway. A vast amount of industry will need to be built on Mars by many other companies and millions of people.'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401121749/https://www.inverse.com/article/37414-spacex-elon-musk-reddit-ama-mars |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=sn20171015>
{{cite news |last=Foust|first=Jeff |url=http://spacenews.com/musk-offers-more-technical-details-on-bfr-system/ |title=Musk offers more technical details on BFR system |work=SpaceNews |date=2017-10-15 |accessdate=2017-10-15 |quote=''[the] spaceship portion of the BFR, which would transport people on point-to-point suborbital flights or on missions to the moon or Mars, will be tested on Earth first in a series of short hops. ... a full-scale Ship doing short hops of a few hundred kilometers altitude and lateral distance ... fairly easy on the vehicle, as no heat shield is needed, we can have a large amount of reserve propellant and don’t need the high area ratio, deep space Raptor engines. ... since the presentation last month, SpaceX has revised the design of the BFR spaceship to add a 'medium area ratio' Raptor engine to its original complement of two engines with sea-level nozzles and four with vacuum nozzles. That additional engine helps enable that engine-out capability ... and will 'allow landings with higher payload mass for the Earth to Earth transport function.' ... The flight engine design is much lighter and tighter, and is extremely focused on reliability.'' }}</ref>

In 2016, Elon Musk stated that there is no expectation of receiving NASA contracts for any of the Mars architecture system work, but affirmed that such contracts would be good.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SpcPlcyOnline/status/780894498893225984|title=Marcia Smith on Twitter|publisher=}}</ref>{{Better source|date=April 2020}}

== SpaceX tentative calendar for Mars missions ==
<!-- This material could form the beginning of a List of SpaceX Mars missions or List of SpaceX planned Mars missions article.  For now, probably best to leave it here until it grows larger, with more sources and more detail; not quite enough to justify a separate article. -->

In 2016 SpaceX announced that there would be a number of early missions to Mars prior to the first trip of the new large composite-structure spacecraft. The early missions are planned to collect essential data to refine the design, and better select landing locations based on the availability of extraterrestrial resources such as water and building materials.<ref name=gw-20160610>{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |url=http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-2024-mars-colony/ |title=SpaceX's Elon Musk teases "dangerous" plan to colonize Mars starting in 2024 |work=GeekWire |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=August 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821102736/http://www.geekwire.com/2016/spacex-elon-musk-2024-mars-colony/ |archive-date=August 21, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 2016 plans ===

In 2016, SpaceX announced plans to fly its earliest missions to Mars using its [[Engineering:Falcon Heavy|Falcon Heavy]] launch vehicle prior to the completion, and first launch, of any ITS. Later missions utilizing this technology—the ITS booster and Interplanetary Spaceship with on-orbit propellant refill via ITS tanker—were to begin no earlier than 2022. At the time, the company was planning for launches of [[Engineering:Space probe|research spacecraft]] to Mars using [[Engineering:Falcon Heavy|Falcon Heavy]] launch vehicles and specialized modified Dragon spacecraft, called ''[[Astronomy:SpaceX Red Dragon|Red Dragon]]''. Due to planetary alignment in the inner Solar System, Mars launches are typically limited to a window of approximately every 26 months. As announced in June 2016, the first launch was planned for Spring 2018, with an announced intent to launch again in every Mars launch window thereafter.<ref name=gw-20160610 /> In February 2017, however, the first launch to Mars was pushed back to 2020,<ref name=verge20170217>{{cite news |last=Grush |first=Lauren |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/17/14652026/spacex-red-dragon-spacecraft-mars-mission-2020 |title=SpaceX is pushing back the target launch date for its first Mars mission |work=[[The Verge]] |date=2017-03-17 |accessdate=2017-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914083605/https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/17/14652026/spacex-red-dragon-spacecraft-mars-mission-2020 |archive-date=September 14, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in July 2017, SpaceX announced it would not be using a propulsively-landed ''Red Dragon'' spacecraft at all for the early missions, as had been previously announced.<ref name=verge20170719/>

The tentative mission manifest from November 2016 included three Falcon Heavy missions to Mars prior to the first possible flight of an ITS to Mars in 2022:<ref name=gw-20160610 /><!-- This is important historical info to the encyclopedia article; please do not delete it without discussing on Talk page first. -->
* 2018: initial SpaceX Mars mission: the [[Astronomy:SpaceX Red Dragon|''Red Dragon'']], a modified [[Engineering:SpaceX Dragon 2|SpaceX Dragon 2]] spacecraft launched by [[Engineering:Falcon Heavy|Falcon Heavy]] launch vehicle.
* 2020: second preparatory mission: at least two Dragon capsules to be injected into Mars transfer orbit via Falcon Heavy launches
* 2022: third uncrewed preparatory mission: first use of the entire ITS system to put a spacecraft on an interplanetary trajectory and carry heavy equipment to Mars, notably a local power plant.
* 2024: first crewed ITS flight to Mars according to the "optimistic" schedule Musk discussed in October 2016,<ref name=musk2016097>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1YxNYiyALg |title=Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species, (full webcast) |date=September 27, 2016 |publisher=SpaceX |via=YouTube |access-date=September 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927202533/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1YxNYiyALg |archive-date=September 27, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> with "about a dozen people".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/590wi9/i_am_elon_musk_ask_me_anything_about_becoming_a/d94txm0/?context=10000|title=I am Elon Musk, ask me anything about becoming a spacefaring civilization|publisher=[[Company:Reddit|Reddit]]|date=October 23, 2016|access-date=November 6, 2016|quote=First crewed mission would have about a dozen people ...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127214715/https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/590wi9/i_am_elon_musk_ask_me_anything_about_becoming_a/d94txm0/?context=10000|archive-date=November 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2017 revisions ===

In February 2017, public statements were made that the first [[Astronomy:SpaceX Red Dragon|''Red Dragon'']] launch would be postponed to 2020. It was unclear at that time whether the overall sequence of Mars missions would be kept intact and simply pushed back by 26 months. In July 2017, Musk announced that development of propulsive landing for the ''Red Dragon'' lander capsule was cancelled in favor of a "much better" landing technique, as yet unrevealed, for a larger spacecraft.<ref name=verge20170719>{{cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/19/15999384/elon-musk-spacex-dragon-capsule-mars-mission |title=Elon Musk suggests SpaceX is scrapping its plans to land Dragon capsules on Mars |work=[[The Verge]] |first=Loren |last=Grush |date=July 19, 2017 |access-date=August 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731225406/https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/19/15999384/elon-musk-spacex-dragon-capsule-mars-mission |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A {{convert|9|m|ft|abbr=on}}-diameter rocket design<!-- the 2017 design is a different rocket design, and is primarily explicated in the Wikipedia in the [[Engineering:BFR (rocket)|BFR (rocket)]] article.  This is merely a short summary of the newer launch vehcle within this article on the older/2016 much-larger rocket design (12-meter diameter, which was designed to have much more thrust and capacity to Mars),  but is no longer in current plans of SpaceX to build -->, using the same Raptor engine technology and carbon-fiber composite materials of the earlier ITS, was unveiled at [[Organization:International Astronautical Congress|International Astronautical Congress]] on September 29, 2017<ref name=Inverse20170925>{{cite news |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/36754-elon-musk-unexpected-spacex-its-system-rocket |title=Elon Musk Teases 'Unexpected' Updates to Interplanetary Rocket |work=Inverse |first=Mike |last=Brown |date=September 25, 2017 |access-date=September 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925132409/https://www.inverse.com/article/36754-elon-musk-unexpected-spacex-its-system-rocket |archive-date=September 25, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> with the code name "BFR". It was similar to the ITS design, but smaller. Musk announced additional capabilities for the BFR, including Earth missions that could shuttle people across the planet in under an hour (most flights would be less than half an hour), Lunar missions, as well as Mars missions, that would aim to<!-- he explicitly stated this was "aspirational" --> land the first humans on the planet by 2024.<ref name=BBC20170929>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41441877 |title=Elon Musk: Rockets will fly people from city to city in minutes |work=BBC |first=Jonathan |last=Amos |date=September 29, 2017 |access-date=July 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908174216/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41441877 |archive-date=September 8, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> SpaceX now plans to focus mainly on one launch vehicle for these missions - the BFR,<ref name=nsf20170929>{{cite news |last=Gebhardt |first=Chris |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/09/the-moon-mars-earth-musk-updates-bfr-plans/ |title=The Moon, Mars, & around the Earth – Musk updates BFR architecture, plans |work=NASASpaceflight.com |date=September 29, 2017 |access-date=October 2, 2017 |quote=In a move that would have seemed crazy a few years ago, Mr. Musk stated that the goal of BFR is to make the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy rockets and their crew/uncrewed Dragon spacecrafts redundant, thereby allowing the company to shift all resources and funding allocations from those vehicles to BFR. Making the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon redundant would also allow BFR to perform the same Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Beyond LEO satellite deployment missions as Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy – just on a more economical scale as multiple satellites would be able to launch at the same time and on the same rocket thanks to BFR’s immense size. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001081759/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/09/the-moon-mars-earth-musk-updates-bfr-plans/ |archive-date=October 1, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> now given an official name of "Super Heavy". By focusing the company's efforts onto just a single launch vehicle, the cost, according to Musk, can be brought down significantly.<ref name=verge-20170929 /> SpaceX also plans to use the Super Heavy for Earth-orbit missions, replacing all current SpaceX Falcon launch vehicles. Construction of the first of the Super Heavy vehicles would begin in 2018, according to Musk.<ref name=TechCrunch20170928>{{cite news |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/28/elon-musk-tweets-image-of-moon-base-alpha-concept-ahead-of-mars-talk/ |title=Elon Musk shares images of "Moon Base Alpha" and "Mars City" ahead of IAC talk |work=TechCrunch |first=Darrell |last=Etherington |date=September 28, 2017 |access-date=September 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930035539/https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/28/elon-musk-tweets-image-of-moon-base-alpha-concept-ahead-of-mars-talk/ |archive-date=September 30, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Further delays ===
As of 2020, none of the planned Mars missions have started yet. One of the rockets that could potentially be used for a Mars mission will be used for a Moon mission first, which according to Musk might happen in 2021.<ref name="ind2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/elon-musk-starship-spacex-mars-a9430126.html|title=ELON MUSK REVEALS PROGRESS OF MARS-BOUND STARSHIP SPACECRAFT|website=The Independent}}</ref> It is unknown when any of the Mars missions will commence.

==See also==

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* [[Astronomy:Colonization of Mars|Colonization of Mars]]
* [[Astronomy:Effect of spaceflight on the human body|Effect of spaceflight on the human body]]
* [[Astronomy:Health threat from cosmic rays|Health threat from cosmic rays]]
* Human outpost
* [[Astronomy:Human spaceflight|Human spaceflight]]
* [[Astronomy:In situ resource utilization|In situ resource utilization]]
* [[Astronomy:Life on Mars|Life on Mars]]
* [[Astronomy:List of crewed Mars mission plans|List of crewed Mars mission plans]]
* [[Astronomy:Human mission to Mars|Human mission to Mars]]
* [[Astronomy:Mars Direct|Mars Direct]]
* [[Astronomy:Mars to Stay|Mars to Stay]]
* [[Medicine:Space medicine|Space medicine]]
* [[Astronomy:Terraforming of Mars|Terraforming of Mars]]
* Starship development history
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/between-a-rocket-and-a-hard-place-elon-musk-to-give-the-speech-of-his-life/ Between a rocket and a hard place: Elon Musk to give the speech of his life], ArsTechnica, September 22, 2016.
* [https://aerospaceengineering.aero/colonization-mars-spacexs-program/ Colonization of Mars - SpaceX's Program], AerospaceEngineering, October 3, 2016.

;Videos

{{Human missions to Mars}}
{{Crewed spacecraft}}
{{Mars}}
{{Space tourism}}

[[Category:Human missions to Mars]]
[[Category:Colonization of Mars]]
[[Category:Space tourism]]

{{Sourceattribution|SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure|1}}