New SpaceX Reveals Planned Mission to Mars In 2018
Well, that certainly come out of nowhere. Previous night on Twitter, SpaceX resolute to post a tweet. What was it about? Oh, Presently the small matter of an unmanned mission to Mars in 2018 – which would create it the first private company to go to the Red Planet.
We’ve long known that the company wants to send spacecraft to Mars, and eventually humans, with a long-term vision of colonizing it one day. But, according to CEO Elon Musk himself, we’d not probable to hear news about their mission to Mars until the International Astronautical assembly in September.
Instead, we now know SpaceX’s very basic plans. “Planning to send Dragon to Mars as soon as 2018,” they tweeted. “Red Dragons will inform overall Mars architecture, information to come.”
Planning to send Dragon to Mars as soon as 2018. Red Dragons will inform overall Mars architecture, information to come pic.
The Red Dragon they’re referring to is an upgraded account of the Dragon spacecraft that’s already in process, called Dragon 2. Aside from launching to space, this spacecraft is also future to be able to touch down softly on the ground using thrusters, a propulsive landing, rather than using parachutes.
It appears that SpaceX is planning to use this same architecture, then, to send a version of Dragon to Mars in 2018. We’ve seen some mock-ups previous to of how they’d do this, but now we know when the first start on will be.
“Dragon 2 is designed to be able to land any-where in the solar system,SpaceX statement. “Red Dragon Mars mission is the first test flight.”
Dragon 2 is designed to be clever to land anywhere in the solar system. Red Dragon Mars-mission is the first test flight.
It’s unclear what this mission would be designed to do, whether it would have a scientific goal or just be a skill demonstration. But, amusingly, NASA has already announced that they plan to help SpaceX, in exchange for SpaceX sharing their own information from the mission. NASA, of route, wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.
“In replace for Martian entry, descent, and landing data from SpaceX, NASA will offer technical hold for the firm’s plan to attempt to land an uncrewed Dragon 2 spacecraft on Mars,” NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman said in a blog post.
Whether SpaceX does really stick to this goal of 2018 remains to be seen. In order to launch to Mars, they’ll likely use their future Falcon Heavy rocket, an upgrade version of the existing Falcon 9 rocket. We’re expecting to see the first flight of the Falcon Heavy later present year, although there’s no firm date yet.
Launches to Mars can only get place during specific launch windows when the planets are aligned, which occur every two years, so if SpaceX misses 2018 they’ll likely launch again in 2020. The first part of Europe’s ExoMars mission, for example, launched this year, with the after that part launching in 2018.
It’s all rather exciting. Certainly, SpaceX seems to have some rather grand goals with regard to exploring the Solar System. And the additional we explore Mars, the better. Hopefully, a human landing is not too far away.
“Mars examination promises to answer lasting questions like: ‘Is it habitable and did life ever exist on Mars?’ Newman additional in the blog post. Perhaps SpaceX, with NASA’s help, will bring us previous to answer this question.
We’ve long known that the company wants to send spacecraft to Mars, and eventually humans, with a long-term vision of colonizing it one day. But, according to CEO Elon Musk himself, we’d not probable to hear news about their mission to Mars until the International Astronautical assembly in September.
Instead, we now know SpaceX’s very basic plans. “Planning to send Dragon to Mars as soon as 2018,” they tweeted. “Red Dragons will inform overall Mars architecture, information to come.”
Planning to send Dragon to Mars as soon as 2018. Red Dragons will inform overall Mars architecture, information to come pic.
The Red Dragon they’re referring to is an upgraded account of the Dragon spacecraft that’s already in process, called Dragon 2. Aside from launching to space, this spacecraft is also future to be able to touch down softly on the ground using thrusters, a propulsive landing, rather than using parachutes.
It appears that SpaceX is planning to use this same architecture, then, to send a version of Dragon to Mars in 2018. We’ve seen some mock-ups previous to of how they’d do this, but now we know when the first start on will be.
“Dragon 2 is designed to be able to land any-where in the solar system,SpaceX statement. “Red Dragon Mars mission is the first test flight.”
Dragon 2 is designed to be clever to land anywhere in the solar system. Red Dragon Mars-mission is the first test flight.
It’s unclear what this mission would be designed to do, whether it would have a scientific goal or just be a skill demonstration. But, amusingly, NASA has already announced that they plan to help SpaceX, in exchange for SpaceX sharing their own information from the mission. NASA, of route, wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.
“In replace for Martian entry, descent, and landing data from SpaceX, NASA will offer technical hold for the firm’s plan to attempt to land an uncrewed Dragon 2 spacecraft on Mars,” NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman said in a blog post.
Whether SpaceX does really stick to this goal of 2018 remains to be seen. In order to launch to Mars, they’ll likely use their future Falcon Heavy rocket, an upgrade version of the existing Falcon 9 rocket. We’re expecting to see the first flight of the Falcon Heavy later present year, although there’s no firm date yet.
Launches to Mars can only get place during specific launch windows when the planets are aligned, which occur every two years, so if SpaceX misses 2018 they’ll likely launch again in 2020. The first part of Europe’s ExoMars mission, for example, launched this year, with the after that part launching in 2018.
It’s all rather exciting. Certainly, SpaceX seems to have some rather grand goals with regard to exploring the Solar System. And the additional we explore Mars, the better. Hopefully, a human landing is not too far away.
“Mars examination promises to answer lasting questions like: ‘Is it habitable and did life ever exist on Mars?’ Newman additional in the blog post. Perhaps SpaceX, with NASA’s help, will bring us previous to answer this question.
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