SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company’s Starship rocket will embark on a journey to Mars by the end of 2026, with Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, onboard.
If these missions prove successful, human landings could follow as early as 2029, though 2031 remains a more likely timeframe.
“Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Musk shared on his X social media platform.
Starship, recognized as the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, plays a pivotal role in Musk’s vision of colonizing Mars.
Meanwhile, NASA is awaiting a modified version of Starship to serve as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts back to the Moon within the decade.
However, before SpaceX can proceed with these ambitious plans, the company must demonstrate that the rocket is safe, reliable, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling, a critical requirement for deep-space missions.
Setbacks and Challenges
Earlier this month, SpaceX faced a major setback when the latest Starship prototype test flight ended in an explosion. Despite successfully recovering the booster during its orbital test, the upper stage lost control minutes after launch, leading to signal loss and mission failure.
This marked a near-repeat of the previous test attempt. Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that SpaceX must conduct a thorough investigation before the next test flight can proceed.
As SpaceX continues refining Starship, the world watches closely, anticipating a new era of space exploration.
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