Musk: "Rocket Launch to Mars Next Year... Human Landing as Early as 2029"

Elon Musk, CEO of the American space development company SpaceX, announced plans to launch the Starship rocket bound for Mars by the end of 2026.

On the 14th (local time), Musk stated on social media platform X, "Starship will depart for Mars carrying Optimus by the end of next year," adding, "If the landing goes well at that time, manned landings could begin as early as 2029." However, he noted that 2031 is more likely.

Optimus is a humanoid robot developed by Tesla, the electric vehicle company where Musk serves as CEO.

According to AFP, SpaceX's Starship, developed with the goal of Mars exploration, is currently the largest and most powerful rocket in the world.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to use a version of the SpaceX Starship designed for lunar exploration to launch manned spacecraft to the Moon as part of the third phase of the Artemis program starting in 2027.

SpaceX ultimately aims to design Starship as a reusable rocket and has conducted a total of eight test flights since 2023.

Of these, four were successful and four failed.