SpaceX to Send Unmanned Capsule to Mars by 2018 Michael Lerner - Blouin News
go to original April 28, 2016

Mission to Mars: SpaceX to send Dragon spacecraft to the Red Planet by 2018 (Newsy)

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced on Wednesday via Twitter that his firm intends to send an unmanned Dragon capsule to land on Mars as early as 2018. It would be a necessary first step for his goals of sending astronauts to Mars in the mid 2020s and eventually colonizing the red planet.

Following the announcement, there was a frenzy of speculation and doubt as to whether these lofty aims were even slightly plausible in that time frame. NASA, for example, with the resources and long-term perspective of the U.S. government, claims to be on track to send astronauts to Mars only in the 2030s.

NASA said in a statement that it is providing “technical support” for SpaceX’s mission, without financial support. In exchange, SpaceX would provide “valuable entry, descent and landing data to NASA for our journey to Mars, while providing support to American industry.”

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