SpaceX will send two of the ship Red Dragon to Mars
The American SpaceX in 2020 will be sent to Mars two automatic ship Red Dragon. Sending a couple of machines due to reinsurance — in the tasks of the mission included the descent to the surface of the red planet, which may fail. About the plans of SpaceX said the Director of the Department for the study of the planets NASA Jim green, according to the publication Ars Technica.
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The first SpaceX ship should be sent at the beginning of the starting window, the second at the end. Sending a pair of Red Dragon due to reinsurance — in the tasks of the mission included the descent to the surface of Mars, which may fail.
So far SpaceX has no experience of landing spacecraft on the surface of extraterrestrial bodies. in addition, the mass of the Red Dragon reaches Mars will be eight tones, two of which have fuel (used in the process of launching the ship).
For comparison, record body weight, coming down on the Red planet, was 3.6 tons (approximately 0.9 tons was accounted for by the Curiosity Rover, and the rest for migrating the module, a protective shield, valve and fuel for the descent).
SpaceX has not officially declared intention to send in 2020 to Mars two Red Dragon. We only know about the plans to send one ship in 2020, it was previously scheduled for 2018. The ship Red Dragon is a highly upgraded truck Dragon currently flying to the ISS.