Musk Says He Wants To Send Rocket To Mars Next Year, With Human Missions As Soon As 2029
Elon Musk, who is juggling his Tesla and SpaceX leadership with DOGE, said in a post on X he wants to send rockets to Mars by the end of 2026, followed by rockets carrying humans between 2029 and 2031—though the billionaire has a reputation for setting overly optimistic deadlines.
Elon Musk says he wants people on Mars by 2031. (Photo by Graeme Sloan for The Washington Post via … More
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
Musk said in a post on X early Saturday morning his SpaceX company plans to launch its Starship spacecraft carrying Optimus, a Tesla-created humanoid robot, to Mars at the end of 2026.
If next year’s landing is a success, Musk says he wants to start sending humans to Mars as soon as 2029, though he said 2031 may be more likely.
Why Does Musk Want To Send People To Mars?
Musk has long spoken of his goal to send humans to Mars, framing it as an existential necessity should life on Earth become jeopardized. “If there’s something terrible that happens on Earth, either made by humans or natural, we want to have, like, life insurance for life as a whole,” Musk said in 2020. He wants to turn the planet into a self-sustaining colony, and he reportedly told SpaceX staffers last year he envisions one million people living on Mars by the 2040s. SpaceX’s webpage dedicated to its Mars mission says the planet is ideal for exploration because its days are similar in length to days on Earth, it receives ample sunlight and is Earth’s closest neighbor. But developing life on the planet faces obstacles including icy temperatures and a lack of water, for which Musk has proposed various solutions—including using Tesla-developed solar panels to provide electricity and heat homes.
Are Musk’s Deadlines Reliable?
Not always. In 2016, Musk said he wanted to send humans to Mars by 2024—which did not happen. In 2017, he said he would offer private citizens trips around the moon in 2018, which also did not happen. Musk also missed deadlines for his Tesla Cybercab robotaxi for years: He unveiled a prototype of the supposedly self-driving vehicles in 2024, five years after he promised they would be on the roads by 2020. He said in October the vehicles would “probably” be in production by 2027.
