SpaceX Targets 2026 for Mars Starship Missions, Elon Musk Reveals Bold Timeline

Musk highlighted that humans must become multiplanetary since this will ensure that existence is not limited to Earth alone

On September 7, Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of SpaceX, stated that the company plans to start launching Starship missions to Mars as early as 2026. The aim of these uncrewed test missions is to assess the chances of a successful landing on the Red Planet. If successful, the first crewed missions could follow in 2030.

"Flight rate will grow exponentially from there, with the goal of building a self-sustaining city in about 20 years," Musk shared on X. He highlighted that humans must become multiplanetary since this will ensure that existence is not limited to Earth alone. SpaceX's entirely reusable Starship rocket system consists of the 165-foot upper-stage spacecraft, Starship, and the first-stage booster, Super Heavy.  Almost twice as powerful as NASA's Artemis moon rocket, with a thrust of 16.7 million pounds, the 400-foot-tall vehicle is the biggest and most powerful rocket of all time. The next Starship test flight is expected soon, featuring a dramatic attempt to land Super Heavy back on the launch mount using “chopstick” arms on the launch tower.

With its ambitious timeline, SpaceX is inching closer to making Musk’s long-held dream of Mars colonization a reality, marking a significant leap in humanity’s interplanetary aspirations.