Elon Musk says SpaceX will launch uncrewed Starship for Mars by end of 2026
Under SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's vision, humans could then land on the Red Planet in 2029, though he admitted on social media site X that 2031 is "more likely."
Elon Musk reinforced his intention on Friday for SpaceX to launch an uncrewed Starship to Mars by the end of 2026.
The ambitious goal is one Musk, the founder and CEO of the commercial spaceflight company, has stated on previous occasions. Musk most recently renewed that desire in a post Friday on social media site X, which he also owns.
Under Musk's vision, humans could then land on the Red Planet in 2029, though he admitted 2031 is "more likely." Musk has previously said crewed missions could take place as early as 2028.
The objective may be a tall order for a next-generation spacecraft that has yet to reach orbit on any of its eight uncrewed flight tests, which began in 2023. Starship's most recent two demonstrations ended with the vehicle exploding in the sky and raining down debris, thought its rocket booster also successfully returned in both tests to the launch pad.
The 400-foot Starship is due to play a pivotal role in the years ahead in deep-space expeditions, as NASA eyes a return to the moon ahead of crewed voyages to Mars.
What is the SpaceX Starship?
Starship, the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, is SpaceX's massive spacecraft composed of both a 232-foot Super Heavy rocket and the 171-foot upper stage vehicle.
At more than 400 total feet in height, Starship towers over SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket – one of the world's most active – which stands at nearly 230 feet.
SpaceX is developing Starship to be a fully reusable transportation system, meaning both the rocket and vehicle can return to the ground for additional missions. In the years ahead, Starship is intended to carry both cargo and humans to Earth's orbit and deeper into the cosmos.
Starship explodes on last two tests
The first two Starship tests of 2025 have been marred by explosions.
In both cases, the upper stage, or the vehicle where astronauts and cargo would ride, came apart in a fiery display mere minutes into its flight. SpaceX, which launches Starship from its Starbase in South Texas, is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the second consecutive mishap, which occurred March 6.
The first explosion of the year on Jan. 16 was due to a series of propellant leaks and fires in the aft section of the vehicle that caused “all but one of Starship’s engines to execute controlled shut down sequences," SpaceX concluded. This led to the communication breakdown and the vehicle to trigger its own self destruction.
Despite the failure of the Starship vehicle, the spacecraft's rocket booster has now managed to navigate back to the launch pad twice in a row. The maneuver, first completed in October, involves SpaceX catching the booster with giant mechanical arms known as chopsticks.
Amid the setbacks, Musk has been seeking to ramp up Starship testing in 2025, though he still needs permission from the FAA, which licenses commercial launches.
Musk, Trump, prioritize Mars missions
Musk's dream of transporting humans straight from Earth to Mars is poised to become a bigger national priority under President Donald Trump.
The vision potentially conflicts with NASA's goals, as the U.S. space agency has for years been preparing to send astronauts first to the moon and then to Mars under its Artemis campaign. American astronauts have not stepped foot on the moon since 1972 under the Apollo program.
But during Trump's inauguration speech in January, he made no mention of NASA's lunar ambitions – instead touting his shared goal with Musk of humanity reaching the Red Planet during his second term.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com