Elon Musk envisions Starship mega-rocket mission to Mars in late 2026

SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced Saturday that his Starship megacraft will fly to Mars by the end of 2026, with Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus on board, and estimated that flight with humans could be a reality as early as 2029.

"Starship will leave for Mars late next year, with Optimus on board. If those landings go well, landings with humans could start in 2029, although 2031 is the most likely date," the mogul wrote on X.

Musk, who is also chairman of Tesla, introduced the company's Optimus robots at an event last year. He said the dancing robots would one day be able to do household chores as well as offer friendly relationships, and he expects them to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000 each.

The world's largest and most powerful rocket

Starshipis key to Musk's ambition to one day colonize Mars. With a total height of 400 feet, about 100 feet taller than New York's Statue of Liberty, it is the world's largest and most powerful rocket.

NASA expects a modified version of this craft as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, with which it seeks to return astronauts to the moon this decade.

But before SpaceX can carry out those missions, it must prove that the mega-rocket is reliable, safe for the crew and capable of complex orbital refueling operations critical for deep-space missions.

Starship ended in another explosion, its eighth test

SpaceX had a setback this month when Starship's latest test flight ended in another explosion, although it successfully caught the booster in its orbital test.

It was almost a repeat of the previous attempt. Minutes after liftoff and separation of the boosters, a live video feed showed the top falling out of control before the signal was abruptly cut off.

Stunning images circulating on the internet showed a shower of red-hot debris over the Bahamas. This was its eighth unmanned orbital test.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX will have to conduct an investigation before it can fly again.

During Joe Biden's presidency, Musk clashed several times with the FAA, which he accused of over-regulating SpaceX on safety and environmental issues. Now with his proximity to the Donald Trump administration, there are concerns about a possible conflict of interest.

The U.S. president promised in his inauguration speech in January that during his administration he will plant the U.S. flag on Mars.