SpaceX founder Elon Musk has announced that his company will attempt to launch its first Starship mission to Mars by the end of next year.
If successful, human landings could follow as early as 2029, though Musk said 2031 is a more likely target. Starship, the tallest rocket ever built at 123 meters, is key to Musk’s vision of making life possible on other planets.
However, the rocket has faced multiple test failures. Last week, a Starship exploded minutes after liftoff in Texas—the second major failure this year after a similar event in January. SpaceX is investigating the cause, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a full review before any future flights.
Despite these setbacks, SpaceX continues its work on Starship, which NASA hopes to use for its Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. Musk has long dreamed of reaching Mars, first announcing plans in 2016 with ambitious timelines that have since shifted.
The upcoming Mars mission will also carry Tesla’s humanoid robot, “Optimus,” which Musk envisions as a future helper for everyday tasks.
Meanwhile, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Friday, sending a crew to the International Space Station. Two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, have been stranded on the ISS for over nine months due to technical problems with their Boeing-built spacecraft, originally planned for an eight-day mission.
