As we all know, Elon Musk doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to meeting his deadlines. So much so that in the past he’s had to push back the dates he’s given for many of his projects, both for the aerospace company SpaceX and for the car company Tesla. Today he shared their new target date for the spacecraft’s journey to Mars.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced in a statement via X that SpaceX plans to launch “approximately five” unmanned spacecraft missions to Mars over the next two years. Musk said that if these tasks are successfully accomplished, The first manned mission to Mars could take place as early as 2028. He said it was possible.

However, these plans may not go as expected, as Musk says we could see another two-year delay if the plans don’t meet the necessary coordination framework that will shorten the path between Earth and Mars.

2028 is intended for a trip to Mars with Starship

Musk stated that the ultimate goal of the company and himself is to include everyone who wants to go to Mars in this adventure. “Ultimately, there will be thousands of spacecraft heading to Mars, and that will create an incredible spectacle.” he said. To give an example of Musk’s previous plans in this area: in 2016 he claimed that SpaceX would send a rocket to Mars in 2018, and this plan was postponed many times and has still not been sent to this day.

SpaceX is currently developing Starship awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its fifth orbital test flight. While the FAA continues to investigate the environmental impact and safety measures of flights, SpaceX cannot conduct test flights until those studies are complete. The FAA recently announced that the investigation could last until late November.

So what do you think about this issue? Do you think a human flight to Mars can happen in 2028, as Musk plans? You can share your opinion with us in the comments section below.