Elon Musk-led SpaceX has been prolific in sending its Falcon rockets to the International Space Station and the Tesla, Inc. CEO says this is just a start.
Musk’s space company launched two Falcon 9 rockets over the weekend and these carried about three tons of supplies to the International Space Station, Ars Technica reported.
The second rocket launched Sunday boosted another 53 Starlink satellites, taking the total number on-orbit to over 2,500 operational internet spacecraft, the report added. SpaceX has now launched 31 rockets successfully this year, equaling the numbers for the full year 2021. The report noted that SpaceX’s main U.S.-based rival—United Launch Alliance has launched 37 rockets from March 19, 2017 to now, at a rate of one launch every 64 days.
“Put another way, SpaceX is now launching at a rate of 10 rockets to every one of its main American competitor,” the report noted.
When a Tesla influencer quote-tweeted the Ars Technica article, Musk chimed in with his views. “It’s a start. About 1000 times more mass to orbit per year will be needed to make life multiplanetary.”
Musk harbors this ambitious vision of inhabiting Mars with humans. In one of his recent public appearances, discussions around colonizing Mars featured heavily.
