Elon Musk announces Starship's Mars mission for 2026, human landings possible by 2029

The spaceship will also carry Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus onboard as a precursor to human landings.

Published on: Mar 15, 2025, 13:33:18 IST

By HT News Desk

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Saturday announced that the Starship rocket would depart for Mars at the end of 2026. The spacecraft will also carry Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus onboard.

Elon Musk stated that the Starship rocket would depart for Mars by the end of 2026 (REUTERS)

In a post on X, Elon Musk said, “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.”

Also Read: Elon Musk's SpaceX calls of Starship test flight last minute due to unidentified issue

SpaceX, which was founded on March 14, 2002, just marked its 23rd anniversary.

The past eight Starship test launches have all failed, with the most recent explosion of a Starship craft being on March 7. The spacecraft exploded minutes after launching into space, leading to space debris raining down.

Also Read: SpaceX Starship blows up near Bahamas after breakup in space | Watch

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) had briefly issued ground stops at the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Orlando airports because and opened an investigation into the failure of the launch.

Also Read: SpaceX Starship explosion disrupts Florida airports: Flights grounded

Starship's test flight, which is a 123-metre rocket system aimed to make a full orbit around Earth and re-enter over the Indian Ocean for a splashdown - which would simulate the landing sequence of the final product, which is meant to make a trip to Mars.

After the failed launches, SpaceX will need to gain permission from the FAA to conduct another test for Starship. Starship will need to pass several tests to ensure that the vehicle is reliable for crew and can complete in-orbit refuelling, which is critical for such a long period of travel in deep space.

NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, to send astronauts to the Moon this decade.

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