Space X Mars mission proposal

Elon Musk’s SpaceX space transport company is spending millions of dollars to redevelop the tail-down
reusability of its Falcon 9 rocket into an ambitious vehicle to settle humans on Mars

Apollo 11 Saturn V (to scale)

Interplanetary Spaceship
Raptor engines: 9
Height: 49.5m
Width: 17m
Uses: 12

Rocket booster
Raptor engines: 42
Height: 77.5m
Width: 12m
Uses: 1,000

Human (to scale)

ITS – INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT SYSTEM

1 Take- off

2 Separation

3 Earth orbit: Several fuel tankers rendezvous to fill ship for Mars voyage

Tankers return to Earth for reuse

4 Ship continues to Mars at 100,000km/h

Enters Martian atmosphere, 1,700°C

5 Lands on  Mars: Three centre Raptor engines perform final decent burn

6 In situ propellant production for return voyage

7 Ship flies back to Earth
Returns for relaunch

12,756km Diameter 6,792km
-88C to 58C Temp. -140C to 30C
100kg Gravity force 38kg
24 hours Day 24hrs 40min
148.9m km2 Land 144.8m km2
7 billion Population 0 (tbc)

Raptors: Outer engines fixed. Centre cluster moves for steering

21 engines
14 engines
7 engines

EARTH Plan MARS

Rocket booster accelerates ship to 8,650 km/h at separation

Gross lift-off mass: 10,500 tonnes

Sources: SpaceX, wire agencies