Starship to reach Mars by 2026 with Tesla's robots: Musk
What's the story
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has set an ambitious target for the company's Starship spacecraft. He wants to launch it toward Mars by late 2026.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote, "Starship will hopefully depart for Mars at the end of next year with Optimus explorer robots."
The robots, being developed by Tesla, will travel onboard the spacecraft to the Red Planet.
Vehicle
Starship Super Heavy: A multi-purpose spacecraft
SpaceX is also working on the Starship Super Heavy. This vehicle will carry cargo, and eventually humans, to the Moon and Mars.
The company plans to conduct an upcoming test flight of the vehicle to test its engine relighting in space as well as landing capabilities.
The Super Heavy rocket has landed twice after launching Starship into space, showcasing SpaceX's reusability prowess.
Travel
Musk's vision: Reducing Mars travel time to 90 days
Traditionally, trips to Mars have been six to nine months long. But, Musk believes that with advanced tech, this could be reduced significantly.
He envisions a future where the travel time to the Red Planet could be cut down to just 90 days.
The design and propulsion capabilities of the spacecraft play a crucial role in achieving this ambitious goal.
Future missions
Musk's plans for uncrewed Starship missions to Mars
Previously, Musk had announced plans for five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars in the next two years.
These missions would occur during the next Earth-Mars transfer window.
The end goal of these missions isn't just transportation but also enabling human settlement on Mars.