SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk has recently made a bold statement. He revealed that the Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT) will carry humans well beyond Mars, prompting Musk to change the MCT's name into a new one.
No Longer Mars Colonial Transporter
Musk took to Twitter to ask for MCT's new name. MCT's name was inspired by Musk's goal of colonizing the Red Planet. However, it's no longer fitting. Musk's revelation required a change.
His followers suggested names such as Indestructible II, Millenium, Booster McBoosterface and Heart of Gold. The latter is taken from a sci-fi novel entitled "A Heart Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". It is written by Douglas Adams. Apparently, it's his favorite fictional spaceship.
However, it didn't take long for the name to change. The Mars Colonial Transported is now called the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS). Musk has announced this on Twitter.
Details about ITS will be unveiled at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). The said event will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico on Sept. 27. This is according to Space.com.
Musk's Greatest Ambition
Musk has always been ambitious. Colonizing Mars had been his goal since he founded SpaceX. The ITS will be launched in 2024. The spacecraft will be able to carry 100 people. That is equivalent to 100 metric tons of cargo, according to Popular Science.
Ultimately, they will land on Mars. Thus, the first time for such event to happen. But Musk is looking beyond Mars. He might possibly send spacecraft beyond the planet.
Other SpaceX Plans
SpaceX plans to have missions every 26 months. The said time interval is caused by Earth and Mars' alignment. It is when launches are feasible.
This will be preceded by an unmanned mission to Mars. It will be launched in 2018. The company will use their Dragon capsule and the Falcon Heavy rocket.
