Red Dragon Mission Pushed Back To 2020

SpaceX will not be ready to launch an unmanned Dragon spacecraft to Mars next year, but that has opened up the opportunity to launch two spacecraft to the Red Planet in 2020.

ArsTechnica reports that SpaceX founder Elon Musk has acknowledged that the technology for an unmanned mission to Mars will not be ready next year. But with that delay comes the possibility, even likelihood, that two Dragons may fly to Mars the next time the orbits of Mars and Earth provide for a relatively short transit between the two.

Jim Green, manager of science missions for NASA, said that there is a favorable launch window to Mars every 26 months, and right now, there are a lot of missions planned for the 2020 cycle. NASA also plans to launch a lander to Mars in 2020.

While SpaceX has not confirmed that there will be two Mars missions in 2020, a company spokesman told Ars that it is definitely "under consideration."

SpaceX plans to use a technique called supersonic retropropulsion to make its landing on Mars. The spacecraft would be the heaviest to land on Mars at about six tons. Curiosity weighed only about one ton when it touched down on the Martian surface. SpaceX believes that supersonic retropropulsion will be a key to eventually landing colonists on Mars.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.spacex.com