Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, stated in a post on the social media site X on Sunday that the company intends to launch around five unmanned Starship missions to Mars in 2 years.
TakeAway Points:
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated in a post on social networking site X on Sunday that the company intends to launch roughly five unmanned Starship missions to Mars in the next two years.
- The CEO said on Sunday that the first crewed mission timeline will depend upon the success of the uncrewed flights.
- Apollo Global Management Inc. has declared its intention to invest several billions of dollars in Intel Corp.
Uncrewed starships to Mars
Earlier this month, Musk had said that the first Starships to Mars would launch in two years “when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.”
The CEO said on Sunday that the first crewed mission timeline will depend upon the success of the uncrewed flights. If the uncrewed missions land safely, crewed missions will be launched in four years. However, in case of challenges, crewed missions will be postponed by another two years, Musk said.
Musk, known for providing changing timelines on Starship’s readiness, said earlier this year that the first uncrewed starship to land on Mars would be within five years, with the first people landing on Mars within seven years.
In June, a Starship rocket survived a fiery, hypersonic return from space and achieved a breakthrough landing demonstration in the Indian Ocean, completing a full test mission around the globe on the rocket’s fourth try.
Musk is counting on Starship to fulfil his goal of producing a large, multipurpose next-generation spacecraft capable of sending people and cargo to the moon later this decade and ultimately flying to Mars.
NASA earlier this year delayed the Artemis 3 mission and its first crewed moon landing in half a century using SpaceX’s Starship to September 2026. It was previously planned for late 2025, NASA said.
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa in June cancelled a private mission around the moon he had paid for, which was to have used SpaceX’s Starship, citing schedule uncertainties in the rocket’s development.
Apollo Global plans for a multibillion-dollar investment in Intel
Apollo Global Management Inc. has offered to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Intel Corp., according to people familiar with the matter, in a move that would be a vote of confidence in the chipmaker’s turnaround strategy.
The alternative asset manager has indicated in recent days it would be willing to make an equity-like investment of as much as $5 billion in Intel, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. Intel executives have been weighing Apollo’s proposal, the people said.
Nothing has been finalized, the size of the potential investment could change and discussions could fall through, resulting in no deal, the people added.
The development comes as San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc. floats a friendly takeover of Intel, people with knowledge of the matter said on Saturday, raising the prospect of one of the biggest-ever M&A deals.
Intels strategy for new product
Under Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger, Intel has been working on an expensive plan to remake itself and bring in new products, technology, and outside customers. That initiative has led to a series of worsening earnings reports that have undermined confidence in the initiative and knocked tens of billions of dollars off its market value. While Apollo may best be known today for its insurance, buyout, and credit strategies, the firm started out in the 1990s as a distressed-investing specialist.
The companies already have a relationship. Santa Clara, California-based Intel agreed in June to sell a stake in a joint venture that controls a plant in Ireland for $11 billion to Apollo, bringing in more external funding for a massive expansion of its factory network.
Apollo also has other experience in the chipmaking space. Last year, the New York-based firm agreed to lead a $900 million investment in Western Digital Corp., buying convertible preferred stock.
