HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA — SpaceX's famous CEO, Elon Musk plans to have established a functioning city on Mars by 2050, and here's how he plans to do it.<br /><br />Mars and Earth align every 2 years, making the time before these alignment periods the obvious launch windows for missions to Mars. <br /><br />Musk said in various news conferences that he plans to send two unmanned SpaceX Starships to Mars during the next launch window, which would be in 2022.<br /><br />These first two autonomous, cargo-carrying spacecraft will carry up to 100 tons of power, mining and life support equipment.<br /><br />If this mission is successful, the plan is to use the next launch window, in 2024, to send two Starships with human pioneers and another two cargo-carrying Starships.<br /><br />Musk said this first human mission would not be relaxing at all, as all future missions would depend on the success of what these pioneers can accomplish.<br /><br />These first Mars pioneers would have to deploy all the hardware, establish temporary survival shelters and set up a rocket-fuel production factory.<br /><br />Establishing this rocket-fuel factory would be difficult under the harsh conditions, but it would be crucial, as it is the only guarantee for the astronauts to return home alive.<br /><br />The factory would use Mars' frozen water and the carbon dioxide molecules that dominate the planet's very thin atmosphere to create methane and liquid oxygen, a.k.a. rocket fuel.<br /><br />If this very vital first human mission is successful, the next step would be to build more permanent habitats, greenhouses and life support systems.<br /><br />After that, the plan is to focus on growth and rapid expansion — from a village, to a town, to a full Martian city, and eventually to multiple Martian cities.<br /><br />2026 should then see the launch of a large number of human-carrying Starships. Soon after that, Musk envisions seeing thousands of Starships with thousands of people launched to Mars during every launch window.
