@benzinga: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that the company's Starship rocket, a crucial element in the billionaire's plans to set up a colony on Mars, can reach the red planet in 6 months. A user shared a post on the social media platform X with a video that showcased how long a commercial airliner would take to fly to various planets in the solar system on Monday. Musk took to X and quoted the video. "Starship can reach Mars in 6 months every 26 months when the planets align," the billionaire said in his post, highlighting the rocket's space flight capabilities. Musk's comment comes in as SpaceX just received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch its Starship rocket again after two failures earlier this year. The company had previously received approval to scale up the rocket's launches from its Texas launch site. SpaceX has also been working closely with the Trump administration for Trump's Golden Dome missile defense project. The company is said to be a frontrunner in securing key defense contracts. Musk's close ties with the Trump administration could prove to be fruitful for the billionaire's Mars ambitions as NASA recently announced plans to work on a manned mission to the red planet.
