Elon Musk confirms spaceship to ferry 100 humans to Mars

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has announced its plans to build a spaceship that will carry up to 100 humans to Mars. Elon Musk took to Twitter to make the announcement using images of the "test hopper" prototype that is under development in Texas.

Musk also responded to the questions from his followers about the spacecraft and its rocket engine which will be capable of ferrying 150-ton payload into space. Responding to speculation from one of the follower saying that the spaceship will be using stainless steel, Musk confirmed that the spacecraft will make do with similar materials that were used for the Atlas rockets first produced in the 1950s.

"Stainless steel is correct, but a different mixture of alloys and new architecture," he said.
Musk also shared the details about the successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, which took flight from Texas on a separate mission to deploy a spy satellite in orbit.

He continued: "Actually, the only significant design element in common with early Atlas is stainless steel and we're using a different alloy mix."

He also confirmed that the Raptor rocket engine which will help launch the spaceship has been "radically redesigned." Musk said that more details about the spacecraft will be brought into light early next year following a test flight of the prototype.

"I will do a full technical presentation of Starship after the test vehicle we're building in Texas flies, so hopefully March/April," he tweeted.

Previously, Musk also said that SpaceX would be aiming to launch manned missions to Mars in 2024.