“You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great - and that's what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It's about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can't think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.” - Elon Musk
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SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.
Missions to Mars
Established by Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, PayPal and the Zip2 Corporation, SpaceX has developed and flown the Falcon 1 light-lift launch vehicle, the Falcon 9 medium-lift launch vehicle, and Dragon, which is the first commercially produced spacecraft to visit the International Space Station, and Falcon Heavy. SpaceX is also developing the BFR, the vehicle which will be capable to travel to the moon, mars and other planets.
Their aspirational goal is to send their first cargo mission to Mars in 2022. The objectives for the first mission will be to confirm water resources, identify hazards, and put in place initial power, mining, and life support infrastructure. A second mission, with both cargo and crew, is targeted for 2024, with primary objectives of building a propellant depot and preparing for future crew flights. The ships from these initial missions will also serve as the beginnings of the first Mars base, from which we can build a thriving city and eventually a self-sustaining civilization on Mars.
Marts Transportation
Architecture