Elon Musk stated, “If those landings are successful, human missions could begin as early as 2029, though 2031 is more probable.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced on Saturday, March 15, 2025, that the company’s massive Starship rocket is set to launch for Mars at the end of 2026, carrying Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus. He also noted that human landings could follow as early as 2029, though 2031 is a more likely timeframe.
“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 shared on his social media platform, X. Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, plays a crucial role in Musk’s long-term vision of establishing a human presence on Mars.”
NASA also plans to use a customized version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon within this decade. Before these ambitious missions can take place, SpaceX must first demonstrate that Starship is reliable, safe for crewed missions, and capable of performing complex in-orbit refueling—a key requirement for deep-space travel. Earlier this month, the company faced a challenge when its latest Starship test flight ended in an explosion, despite the booster being successfully recovered in its orbital test.
The incident closely resembled a previous test, where after liftoff and booster separation, the upper stage lost control before the video feed abruptly cut off. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated that SpaceX conduct an investigation into the failure before the rocket can fly again.