Private commercial space flight company SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk, just hinted that a technology developed by the company could go "well beyond" Mars. By looking at the company's track record, the question still stands: is SpaceX really capable of doing it?
Earlier this year, SpaceX announced that they would be able to offer cargo services to the red planet once the development on Mars has started. At a hefty price of $62 million, SpaceX is willing to send building materials or habitation systems to Mars using the company's heavy-duty rockets. This service is officially available on SpaceX website at for the price of $62 million, signifying SpaceX's confidence that Mars colonization is possible and it's happening fast.
"Now is the first time in the history of Earth that the window is open, where it's possible for us to extend life to another planet," said Musk in a statement.
Unmanned trips to the red planet are also in the works with China, NASA and SpaceX vying for the first institution to land on the red planet in the coming years. Musk also announced that his commercial space flight company would be able to send people to Mars by 2024, a rather short timetable for the company to create a rocket strong enough to withstand the interplanetary deep space travel and the potentially hazardous environment on Mars.
But Musk just expressed his confidence that SpaceX can do more than deliver goods or men to Mars. Musk said that his heavy-duty spacecraft called the Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT) designed to carry 100 tons of cargo or a total of 100 people to Mars can do more than that.
"Turns out MCT can go well beyond Mars, so will need a new name," Musk said in a Tweet.
Musk, known for his cryptic tweets, followed it up with a confirmation that he has received some interesting name suggestions for his heavy-duty Mars colonial transporter.
However, very little is known about SpaceX's capabilities beyond Mars and if the company is already planning a launch that will go beyond the red planet. But with SpaceX's track record, it may not be impossible for them to develop a space rocket technology that can withstand deeper space explorations that are capable of conquering places beyond the red planet.
Despite suffering from an "anomaly" last Sept. 1, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, Musk remains unfazed and determined that his commercial space company SpaceX, will be able to provide its promises to its clients, a dependable transport system from Earth to space and vice-versa.