Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, announced on Saturday that the company’s Starship rocket is scheduled to depart for Mars at the end of 2026, carrying Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus. He also mentioned that human landings could follow as early as 2029, though 2031 is a more likely timeline.
Musk shared the update on his X social network, stating, “Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely.”
Starship, which holds the title of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, is central to Musk’s long-term plan of establishing a human colony on Mars. Additionally, 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 this decade.
However, before these ambitious missions can be realized, SpaceX needs to demonstrate that Starship is reliable, safe for crew, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling — essential for deep space exploration.
**Recent Setback for SpaceX**
SpaceX recently faced a setback during its latest test flight of the Starship prototype. The test ended in a fiery explosion, though the booster was successfully caught in its orbital test. This incident was reminiscent of the previous test failure. Shortly after launch and booster separation, a live feed showed the upper stage spinning out of control before the signal was lost.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has since stated that SpaceX must conduct an investigation before any future flights can proceed.
