Elon Musk says astronauts could land on Mars within just four years, ramping up pressure on NASA’s delayed plans to return to the Moon.
Elon Musk has made a bold claim: astronauts could set foot on Mars in as little as four years. This timeline puts increased pressure on NASA, which has been facing delays in its plans to return to the Moon.
Musk’s company, SpaceX, plans to launch its first unmanned spacecraft to Mars within the next two years. This mission will take place during the next transfer window between Earth and Mars, which happens when the two planets are at their closest. This will allow the spacecraft to travel more efficiently and reach Mars faster. The goal of this mission is to test how reliably they can land on the Martian surface.
If these tests are successful, Musk says SpaceX could be ready to launch a manned mission to Mars in as little as four years. SpaceX, which Musk founded in 2002, has made incredible strides in space exploration, and this would mark another major milestone in its ambitious plans.
Initially, the spacecraft sent to Mars will be unmanned to ensure the safety and reliability of future missions. “The first missions will be robotic, aimed at testing how well we can land on Mars,” Musk explained. If these early missions go according to plan, SpaceX could be ready to send humans to Mars within a few years.
Musk’s dream of sending people to Mars is part of his larger vision to make humanity a multi-planetary species. He believes that this will “greatly extend the lifespan of human consciousness,” as it would prevent humanity from putting all its “eggs in one basket” on Earth. In April, Musk suggested that an unmanned spacecraft could land on Mars within five years, and the first humans could follow just two years after that. By his estimates, a self-sustaining city on Mars could be built within the next 20 years.
Meanwhile, NASA has been facing delays in its own ambitious plans to return to the Moon. In January, NASA announced that its next manned lunar mission, Artemis II, had been pushed back until September 2025. The eagerly awaited follow-up mission, Artemis III, has also been delayed and is not expected to take place before September 2026.
NASA has cited safety concerns as one of the main reasons for these delays. The Artemis program, which is the successor to NASA’s Apollo missions from the 1960s and 1970s, aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back to Earth, while the Artemis III mission is expected to land humans on the lunar surface.
If all goes according to plan, Artemis III will mark the first time humans have walked on the Moon in over half a century. NASA is hoping that the Artemis program will not only rekindle interest in space exploration but also help lay the groundwork for future missions to Mars.
Musk believes that becoming a multi-planetary species is crucial for the survival of humanity. “Expanding to other planets will significantly increase the lifespan of consciousness,” he said, adding that it would reduce the risks associated with living solely on Earth.
NASA’s efforts to return to the Moon have faced multiple setbacks over the past decade, which have added billions of dollars to the overall cost of the program. According to government audits, the total cost of the Artemis program is expected to reach $93 billion by 2025.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has emphasized that safety is the top priority for the next phase of the Artemis program. However, NASA is still moving forward with its lunar exploration plans. The space agency recently awarded a $116.9 million contract to Intuitive Machines to deliver six scientific instruments to the lunar South Pole in 2027.
Chris Colbert, the program manager for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) at the Johnson Space Center, said that these instruments would help achieve several key scientific objectives and enhance our understanding of the Moon’s environment. “For example,” Colbert said, “they will help answer critical questions about where volatile materials—such as water, ice, or gas—are located on the Moon’s surface. They will also measure radiation levels in the South Pole region, which could aid future exploration efforts and assist us as we continue to explore Mars.”
Earlier this year, Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based company, successfully completed the first private lunar landing. In February, a solar-powered lander named “Odysseus” touched down near the lunar South Pole and operated for seven Earth days.
NASA is heavily relying on private companies to achieve its lunar ambitions through the Artemis program, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX. For the Artemis III mission, NASA will require SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket to transport the first astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back.
In June, SpaceX’s Starship rocket successfully completed a high-speed return from space, achieving a spectacular landing in the Indian Ocean after circling the Earth. This marked the fourth successful test of the rocket and a major step toward realizing Musk’s vision of creating a next-generation spacecraft capable of ferrying both people and cargo to the Moon and, eventually, Mars.
With SpaceX’s progress and NASA’s ongoing efforts, the next few years could see humanity taking giant leaps toward exploring and even colonizing other planets, beginning with Mars.