The first flight of Starship on Mars can take place at the earliest in 2026 – announced the founder of SpaceX Elon Musk. The crew of the spaceship is to consist of one member, humanoid robot. If everything goes according to plan, preparations for sending people to the red planet will begin.
The first flight to Mars Starship rocket, constructed by SpaceX, will take place in March 2026 – wrote on the portal X the company owner, billionaire Elon Musk. There will be a humanoid Robot Optimus on board.
“If the landing goes well, then people will be able to reach (to Mars) in 2029, although 2031 is more likely” – added Musk.
Elon Musk. Plans towards Mars and the Moon
Starship is a powerful rocket, measuring over 120 meters, which is supposed to be the largest charges for orbit. In addition to the intentions of SpaceX using a ship for flights to Mars, Starship is also part of the Artemis mission that is to take people to the moon surface again and establish a permanent human presence there.
In total, Starship has already made eight test flights in cosmos. During the last flight at the beginning of March, the ship crashed, lost control of the flight and exploded in the air. A similar fate met the vehicle during the seventh trial flight in January 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) demanded that the SpaceX company conduct an investigation, which aims to find the cause of the explosion and determine repair activities.
The Starship rocket broke up during the seventh test flightMichael Gonzalez/PAP/EPA
Source of the main photo: Michael Gonzalez/PAP/EPA