SpaceX is creating a manned vehicle to take astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Essentially they are adding life support equipment, an air plant, and retro rocket engines to the existing ISS resupply carrier. And doing 50,000 pounds of NASA paperwork to "man rate" the vehicle.
SpaceX wants to send one, unmanned, to Mars in 2018. They have a signed agreement with NASA regardng intellectual property for SpaceX and NASA support for the mission. The vehicle ("Red Dragon") would make a jet landing on Mars, under control of the autopilot. SpaceX has been able to jet land the Falcon booster on a raft in the ocean which seems like a harder job than landing on Mars with it's lesser surface gravity.
"Red Dragon" has impressive engine power. Eight engines, burning nitrogen tetraoxide and hydrazine, produce 33,000 pounds of thrust, call it 16 tons of thrust. The vehicle only weights 15 tons on earth. If the fuel holds out, it has plenty of thrust to slow down and even hover briefly before touchdown.
Takeoff will be atop a Falcon Heavy booster which is three Falcon Nine boosters, strapped together. That will be 27 rocket engines, producing 5.1 million pounds of thrust. Design goal is deliver 15 tons to Mars surface. Straight thru, no earth orbit rendezvous.
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