In a statement on X, SpaceX’s founder Elon Musk has shared that the Starship rocket will leave for Mars before the end of 2026. Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus will be on board during the launch.
The development of the world’s largest rocket, SpaceX’s Starship, hasn’t been going smoothly as of late. In January 2025, a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” happened during a test launch and on 6 March, a rocket explosion happened minutes after its launch in Texas. That incident, while called a “minor setback” by Musk, caused the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require an investigation from SpaceX, stating the company would not be able to fly again until it was finished.
The first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2024
These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars. If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years.
Flight rate will… https://t.co/ZuiM00dpe9
The biggest rocket in history
Elon Musk, however, doesn’t seem to be too concerned about the progress of his plans. In a new post on X, he shared that the Starship should depart for Mars before the end of 2026, with Optimus aboard. He predicted human landings on Mars could start as soon as 2029, with 2031 being a more likely goal.
Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2025
If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely. https://t.co/JRBB95sgNN
The Starship rocket is an important part of Musk’s plans to colonise Mars. Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, it would be the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, while also being fully reusable. The Starship has been designed specifically for deep-Space exploration, travelling to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Before the Starship can be used, however, it needs to be reliable, safe and capable of complex in-orbit refuelling.
The rocket won’t just be used by SpaceX as part of their Mars colonisation plans – NASA too is waiting for the Starship to be fully functional as the organisation plans on using it as the lunar lander for its Artemis program. That program aims to return men to the Moon before the end of the decade.
A humanoid robot aboard the Starship
The Optimus or Tesla Bot, which should be travelling aboard the Starship when it launches in 2026, is a humanoid robot that is being developed by Musk’s electric vehicle company. It was presented by Musk during an event in 2024, who said the bot would be able to perform repetitive, dangerous, or mundane tasks that humans would rather avoid. Its expected retail price comes in at $ 20,000 to $ 30,000. It is unclear yet what its role would be aboard the rocket.
