SpaceX plans to send about five unmanned Starship spacecraft to Mars within two years, SpaceX owner Elon Musk announced.

If they all land safely, crewed missions will be possible within four years. And if problems arise, the manned missions will be postponed for another two years, he noted.

A trip from Earth to Mars is possible only once every two years when the planets are in the same direction. This makes the task more difficult, but also serves as an immunity for Mars against many catastrophic events on Earth.

"Regardless of a successful landing, SpaceX will increase the number of spacecraft headed to Mars with each launch opportunity. We want to give everyone who wants to be a space traveler the opportunity to go to Mars. This means that you or your family or friends - anyone who dreams of great adventure - will be able to go to Mars. Eventually, thousands of Starship spacecraft will travel to Mars, and it will be a magnificent sight. Can you imagine?" he said.

Elon Musk also stated that a fundamental ontological question is whether humanity will manage to live sustainably on different planets before something happens on Earth that prevents it, such as nuclear war, a large-scale virus, or a demographic collapse that will weaken civilization to the point where it will no longer be able to send spaceships to Mars to supply the planet with everything it needs.

“One of my biggest concerns right now is that the Starship program is being suffocated by government bureaucracy that grows every year. This suffocating bureaucracy affects every major project in America,” Musk said.