Musk aiming to send uncrewed Starship to Mars by end of 2026
Two days after the latest in a string of test-flight setbacks for his big new Mars spacecraft, Starship, Elon Musk said on Thursday he foresees the futuristic vehicle making its first uncrewed voyage to the red planet at the end of next year.
Musk presented a detailed Starship development timeline in a video posted online by his Los Angeles area-based rocket company, SpaceX, a day after saying he was departing the administration of US President Donald Trump as head of a tumultuous campaign to slash government bureaucracy.
The billionaire entrepreneur had said earlier that he was planning to scale back his role in government to focus greater attention on his various businesses, including SpaceX and electric car and battery maker Tesla Inc.
Musk acknowledged that his latest timeline for reaching Mars hinged on whether Starship can accomplish a number of challenging technical feats during its flight-test development, particularly a post-launch refueling maneuver in Earth orbit.
The end of 2026 would coincide with a slim window that occurs once every two years when Mars and Earth align around the sun for the closest trip between the two planets, which would take seven to nine months to transit by spacecraft.
Musk gave his company a 50-50 chance of meeting that deadline. If Starship were not ready by that time, SpaceX would wait another two years before trying again, Musk suggested in the video.
The first flight to Mars would carry a simulated crew consisting of one or more robots of the Tesla-built humanoid Optimus design, with the first human crews following in the second or third landings. Musk said he envisioned eventually launching 1,000 to 2,000 ships to Mars every two years to quickly establish a self-sustaining permanent human settlement.
NASA is currently aiming to return humans to the surface of the moon aboard Starship as early as 2027 - more than 50 years after its last manned lunar landings of the Apollo era - as a stepping stone toward ultimately launching astronauts to Mars sometime in the 2030s.
Musk, who has advocated for a more Mars-focused human spaceflight programme, has previously said he was aiming to send an unmanned SpaceX vehicle to the red planet as early as 2018 and was targeting 2024 to launch a first crewed mission there.
The SpaceX founder was scheduled to deliver a livestream presentation billed as "The Road to Making Life Multiplanetary" from the company's Starbase, Texas, launch site on Tuesday night, following a ninth test flight of Starship that evening.
But the webcast was cancelled without notice after Starship spun out of control and disintegrated in a fireball about 30 minutes after launch and roughly halfway through its flight path without achieving some of its most important test goals.
Two preceding test flights in January and March failed in more spectacular fashion, with the spacecraft blowing to pieces on ascent moments after liftoff, raining debris over parts of the Caribbean and forcing scores of commercial jetliners to change course as a precaution.
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Find daily astrological predictions for all sun signs for June 21. We recommend reading the horoscopes for your rising sign. Aries Career Horoscope The Moon not only returns for its only visit to your income sector while Venus, the planet of money is here but its first since Mars returned to your work sector earlier in the week. This will see the Moon spend its early hours at a friendly aspect to Mars and just as Venus moves into her final two weeks, this ordinary chance that you get every four weeks to sharpen your nose for money and act as a trigger, comes just as things are ripe with potential on the income and job fronts. Taurus Career Horoscope As the Sun leaves your income sector, for now this ends the support that has been there for Pluto in your career sector. Since Jupiter returned to your income sector in May 2024, no planet has returned to your income sector without spending its early days at a friendly aspect to Mars, something that Venus, the planet of money will do when she returns in two weeks. Mars will do the same when he returns to your work sector in six weeks, with the best still to come. Gemini Career Horoscope Mercury, who returned to your income sector last week but will leave again next week, is still separating from a friendly aspect to Juno on the job front, when he moves into another to the North Node in your career sector. This is expanding on what has already been a good week across the income, work and career fronts and is what will greet the Sun when his return to your income sector today shifts the solar spotlight onto your income situation, matters and options. Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for tarot readings, love, health, career, and Chinese horoscopes delivered to your phone daily! Cancer Career Horoscope Since returning to your career sector two days ago, the Moon has aligned with three of the five planets here, all of them newcomers and all of them set to reshape the rest of this professional year and beyond. Before leaving today, the Moon will spend its final hours aligned with the two planets that have been here for years, leaving you with your professional instincts sharp and more emotionally and intuitively engaged and aware, but also with a chance to get back to basics. Leo Career Horoscope The Moon's return to your career sector today might be an ordinary monthly event and something that every four weeks can sharpen your professional instincts, act as a trigger and ensure you are emotionally and intuitively engaged and aware, it comes just as you are moving into a pivotal 16 days on the income and career fronts. Things kick off with the Moon's friendly aspect to Mars in your work sector, as it makes its only visit while Venus, the planet of money is working to steer this professional year in a lucrative direction. Virgo Career Horoscope While the Sun's departure from your career sector today is the point when, on the June solstice each year, the solar spotlight will always shift off your career and professional situation, matters and options, this is far from the end of the story. While after Jupiter left last week this will leave your career sector empty for the first time since May 2024, with a chance to step back and process the journey so far, before in 14 days an even bigger chapter begins. Libra Career Horoscope The Sun's return to your career sector today is the point when, on the June solstice each year, the solar spotlight will always shift onto your career and professional situation, matters and options. However, this is the only thing ordinary about this, with the Sun not only returning to find that lucky Jupiter returned last week, but as you embark on your most powerful professional year in over a decade, the stars are already aligned across the income, work and career fronts. Scorpio Career Horoscope Since returning to your work sector two days ago, the Moon has already aligned with three of the five planets in your work sector, all of them newcomers and all with the power to change things up. Before leaving today, the Moon will spend its final hours aligned with the two planets that have been here for years. Four days after Mars left your career sector, this is a chance to get back to basics while leaving you with your instincts sharp and a download of information to unpack. Sagittarius Career Horoscope As the Moon returns for its only visit to your work sector while Venus is here and 16 days before Uranus' six year transit is due to end, things kick off with a friendly aspect to Mars, four days after his return to your career sector. As you move into some of the most pivotal weeks of this professional year, the Moon returns to sharpen your instincts and bring all the different threads together. Capricorn Career Horoscope The Sun's departure from your work sector today is something that on the June solstice each year will always take the solar spotlight off your work situation and job matters. While this will leave your work sector empty, only for 14 days until Venus returns to usher in the next chapter. Until then, after Jupiter left and ended his nearly 13 month visit last week, there is a chance to first stand back and unpack the journey so far. Aquarius Career Horoscope While the Sun will always return to your work sector on the June solstice and this is the point in each year that the solar spotlight will always shift onto your work situation and job matters, from the start it will be clear that everything has changed. As well as returning to find Jupiter, the planet of luck and expansion here for the first time in over a decade, with the stars aligned on income, work and career fronts in a way not normally seen at this time of year. Pisces Career Horoscope In between Mars' departure from your work sector earlier in the week, Mercury's return next week and with the impact from last week's Full Moon on the career front still playing out, the Moon is wrapping up a visit to your income sector that has brought a chance to focus on the money. An alignment with the five planets here will leave you with more than just a sharp nose for money, with a read on where the money is set to make all the difference when things start up again on the job front next week.
