Elon Musk's statement on travel to Mars

Participating via video conference in the 74th International Astronautical Congress held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Musk made assessments regarding the Starship project and SpaceX.

Musk stated that a redesigned separation system for the two parts of the rocket to be sent into space as part of the Starship project will be used in the next test flight.

Musk, who did not provide information about the date of the trial, stated that this redesigned system poses the greatest risk to the project.

An opportunity that occurs every 26 months and requires at most 4 years of preparation

Musk noted that in this system, the upper part of the booster rocket is detonated along with the main rocket, and since they will be doing this for the first time, he expressed that this point is the riskiest part of the launch.

Noting that as long as the rocket does not explode in the air during this risky launch phase, the probability of reaching orbit is high, Musk pointed out that this system was pioneered by the former Soviet Union.

Emphasizing that the fundamental difference of the Starship rocket from other rockets is that it is designed to be fully reusable, Musk stated that the booster rocket, the main rocket, and the stages will be rapidly reusable.

Answering the question about the possibility of sending a manned or unmanned spacecraft to Mars, Musk emphasized that regarding sending an unmanned vehicle to Mars, the transport window between Earth and Mars occurs every 26 months and that there is a 3 to 4-year preparation process for such a journey.

Musk also noted that they plan for SpaceX to perform multiple launches per day and at least 1,000 launches per year within 4 to 5 years.

Stating that the new spacesuit designed by SpaceX could be used on the Moon and Mars, Musk underlined that the suit is in the development stage.

When asked if Tesla has a vehicle design that could travel on the surface of Mars or the Moon, Musk said that it is possible to build such a vehicle because electric vehicles, unlike other engines, do not need oxygen.

When asked if we are alone in the universe and whether aliens are real, Musk said, “I have not seen any evidence that aliens are real. I think we are the aliens. If humanity is a small candle in this vast darkness, we must do everything to ensure that our fire does not go out.”

Starship project

The N1 rocket project, which was planned to be sent to the Moon by the former Soviet Union in the late 1960s and had 30 engines, failed in all four attempts and was canceled.

NASA had signed an agreement with SpaceX to develop a different version of the Starship rocket to send astronauts to the lunar surface within the framework of the Artemis program.

Elon Musk had announced that he aims to use the higher-technology 33-engine Starship to send satellites and humans into space.

If the test result is found sufficient by the authorities, Starship will make its first voyage into space and earn the title of the world's most powerful rocket.