As SpaceX completes 23 years, its founder Elon Musk has hinted that the company is preparing for a groundbreaking space mission. According to the tech billionaire, Starship will launch its Mars mission carrying Tesla's humanoid robot by 2026-end.
"Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely," Musk stated on the social media platform X. If things as per plan, the initiative marks a pivotal step in Musk's goal of making humans "multi-planetary."
The mission will include humanoid robot "Optimus", first unveiled to the public last year. Musk envisions Optimus as a robot capable of performing everyday tasks, with an expected price tag of between $20,000 and $30,000. Its involvement in the Mars mission highlights the integration of cutting-edge technology in space exploration.
The mission will utilise SpaceX’s Starship, the tallest rocket constructed at 123 metres. This rocket is crucial to Musk's ambition to colonise Mars.
Despite its promise, Starship has faced challenges, experiencing multiple setbacks during test flights. Notably, there was a "rapid unscheduled disassembly" shortly after a launch from Texas. SpaceX is investigating to "better understand [the] root cause" of these explosions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires SpaceX to conduct a thorough investigation into recent test failures before proceeding with further flights. Despite these challenges, NASA plans to use a modified version of Starship for its Artemis missions to the Moon, illustrating the spacecraft's potential versatility.
Elon Musk has been committed to Mars exploration for years. As early as 2016, he intended to send the Dragon spacecraft by 2018. Although those plans evolved, Musk remains confident about landing humans on Mars within the next decade, bolstered by SpaceX's ongoing technological advancements.
SpaceX's efforts form part of a broader ambition to develop infrastructure essential for sustaining human life on Mars, including advanced spacecraft and supportive technologies.