The first #Starhopper flight was in 📆 2019. First #Starship landing (without #RUD 💥) 📆 2021. First #atmospheric entry 📆 2024. When do you expect the first (uncrewed) Starship #Mars 🔴 landing attempt ? 🤔
2025
1%
2027
25.3%
2029
24.2%
> 2030
49.5%
Poll ended at .
#SpaceX will launch its first #Starships 🚀 to #Mars 🔴 in two years. "These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars" https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/musk-says-spacex-launch-first-uncrewed-starships-mars-two-years-2024-09-07/

"Two years down the road it seems feasible.It would be enough for #SpaceX to have a fleet of three launchers, one per pad. The bottleneck may lie in the supply of the thousands of liters of #methane and oxygen needed to maintain a sustained hourly launch rate. Some have proposed building a jetty and a small gas #pipeline so that the fuel can arrive in large methane tankers." https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-11-04/elon-musks-plans-to-go-to-mars-within-two-years.html

#Starship #Mars

Elon Musk’s plans to go to Mars... within two years

The SpaceX founder aims to send five unmanned spacecraft to the red planet, taking advantage of the launch window that will open in 2025

EL PAÍS English

The proof of concept shows that at the current achievable flow rates of #CO2 and water, it is possible to meet #NASA’s 16-month deadline for refueling #rockets on #Mars 🔴. It can be scaled further to meet tighter rocket refueling ⛽ deadlines. The use of Martian nighttime temperatures for heat 🌡️ exchange can potentially reduce the dependence on power-hungry cryogenic methods for gas liquefaction. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9118664

#ISPP #ISRU

Thermodynamic modeling of in-situ rocket propellant fabrication on Mars

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to refuel rockets on Mars will become critical in the future. The current effort presents a thorough feasibility analysis of a scalable, Matlab-based, integrated ISRU framework from the standpoint of the second ...

PubMed Central (PMC)

For Starship to go to #Mars 🔴, you’ve got to get #Starship tankers ⛽ on orbit and perfect orbital refueling. #SpaceX will have to perfect the #robots 🤖 that will help build spacecraft #LandingPads and human #habitats on the Martian surface, prospect for water 💧 underground, and convert the water and carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere into vast reservoirs of super-cooled oxygen and methane for the Starships’ return voyage to Earth. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinholdenplatt/2025/03/11/spacexs-starship-plan-to-land-first-humans-on-mars-but-not-till-2031

#Mars2026 #Optimus #SpaceRobot

SpaceX Starship Poised To Land First Humans On Mars, But Not Till 2031

Robert Zubrin, the planet’s leading strategist for landing humans on Mars, predicts SpaceX’s Starship will win the race to speed astronauts to Mars, but not until 2031.

Forbes

Many core components of #humanoid robots 🤖 – including exteriors, actuators, joints and ball screws – are sourced heavily from suppliers in #China 🇨🇳 https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3307085/tesla-cant-make-optimus-robot-us20000-without-china-humanoid-experts-say

“After #Chinese supply chain manufacturers supply components to #Tesla, they refine them based on testing feedback and then offer the improved versions to domestic manufacturers” https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/tech/china-robots-market-competitiveness-intl-hnk/index.html

#Optimus #SupplyChain

Tesla can’t make Optimus robot for US$20,000 without China, humanoid experts say

As US-China trade war tariffs bite, mass production of Tesla’s Optimus ‘likely to be put on hold’, threatening Elon Musk’s plans, according to Chinese industry insiders.

South China Morning Post

#Optimus humanoid robots 🤖 have electric motors in their arms that operate in a confined space and require the special magnets 🧲. #RareEarth magnets are up to 15 times as powerful as conventional iron magnets of the same size https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/business/elon-musk-tesla-robots.html

#SpaceRobot #China #SupplyChain

Elon Musk Warns China’s Rare Earth Restrictions May Delay Tesla Robots

China’s halt this month on exports of magnets containing heavy rare earth metals has affected Tesla’s plans to manufacture Optimus robots.

The New York Times

A one-way journey typically takes about six 6️⃣ to nine months. #Optimus is intended to perform basic tasks like equipment setup, maintenance, and data collection on #Mars 🔴 https://thedroidguy.com/spacexs-bold-plan-starship-and-teslas-optimus-robot-headed-to-mars-by-2026-1268548

#SpaceRobot