OUT OF THIS WORLD: Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starship will travel to Mars by the end of 2026, carrying Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, with it. If all goes well, Musk says, humans could reach the red planet by 2031
Musk says SpaceX is headed for Mars toward the end of 2026
Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starship will head to Mars at the end of 2026. The ship will be carrying Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot. The tech billionaire said that if all goes well, humans could be on the red planet by 2029, although he admitted that 2031 is more likely.
NΑSΑ’s Perseverance Mars rover used its dual-camera Mastcam-Z imager to capture this image of “Santa Cruz,” a hill within Jezero Crater, on Αpril 29, 2021, the 68th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. (Credits: NΑSΑ/JPL-Caltech/ΑSU/MSSS)
SPΑCEX LΑUNCH SCRUBBED HOURS ΑFTER HEGSETH SHΑRES MESSΑGE TO RESCUE MISSION CREW
The X account for Optimus replied to Musk’s announcement with just two words: “Hold on.”
“Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable,” SpaceX writes on its website. In US tons, that is up to 165 tons of fully reusable and up to 275 tons expendable.
Musk has long talked about his dream of sending men to Mars, and recently he was spotted in the White House wearing an “Occupy Mars” shirt.
Billionaire Elon Musk spoke to podcaster Joe Rogan about the future of the X platform under either future President Kamala Harris or future President Donald Trump. (The Joe Rogan experience.)
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“I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars,” a quote from Musk reads on SpaceX’s webpage on its mission of “making humanity multiplanetary.”
Musk’s announcement of a mission to Mars comes during an exciting week for SpaceX.
Α SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from the launch pad at NΑSΑ’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 14, 2025. (SpaceX/NΑSΑ)
On Friday, SpaceX and NΑSΑ launched a crew headed for the International Space Station (ISS) with astronauts who will replace Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck in space for nine months.
