Elon Musk plans to send the Starship to Mars in 2026

Visit to the God of War Elon Musk plans to send the Starship to Mars in 2026

2025-03-24 From dpa | Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

Space-X founder Elon Musk has announced a Mars mission with his Starship rocket for 2026, as reported by dpa over the weekend.

A Starship from Elon Musk's company Space-X is soaring into the sky over Florida. Despite some setbacks during tests, Musk now plans a flight to Mars—initially with the robot Optimus on board. Later, astronauts are expected to set foot on the red planet.(Image: Space-X) — A Starship from Elon Musk's company Space-X is soaring into the sky over Florida. Despite some setbacks during tests, Musk now plans a flight to Mars—initially with the robot Optimus on board. Later, astronauts are expected to set foot on the red planet.
(Image: Space-X)

The Starship is set to launch to Mars with Optimus on board at the end of next year, as Elon Musk recently posted on the platform X. And Optimus is the humanoid robot that Tesla introduced in 2022. If the landing on the planet, which, ideally, orbits "only" about 54 million kilometers (approx. 34 million miles) from Earth, is successful, manned missions are to follow. Musk names 2029 as a possible date for this historic event, but 2031 is more likely, as he notes. How seriously the businessman's announcement should be taken remains unclear. Musk has repeatedly made ambitious announcements in the past, which did not lead to anything concrete. On the other hand, the 53-year-old, currently a close confidant of Donald Trump, is considered one of the most innovative entrepreneurs of his generation, who has repeatedly managed to lead major projects to success against all skepticism.

Tests with Starship still reveal deficiencies

NASA, by the way, plans to send astronauts to the Moon with the Starship, while Space-X is targeting Mars. However, there is no exact timetable for this yet. Recently, there have been several setbacks in the tests of the rocket, which is larger than the Statue of Liberty in New York. During the eighth test flight of the largest rocket system ever built a few days ago, the upper stage broke into many pieces. The debris streaked across the sky over Florida and the Caribbean as long glowing trails. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted takeoffs and landings at several airports in Florida. Additionally, the agency—typical after such incidents – ordered an investigation. The rocket system was tested for the first time in April 2023—and completely exploded after a few minutes then. However, in further tests, the upper stage had reached space and also landed controlled in the Indian Ocean.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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