Elon Musk recently responded to a post by X user DogeDesigner, which featured an image of him clapping at an event while wearing a SpaceX hoodie. The post was captioned, “But then I started thinking about Mars,” referencing Musk’s long-held ambition to establish a human presence on the Red Planet. Quoting the post, Musk added, “I do drift off into thinking about Mars at times.”
Musk has frequently spoken about his vision for Mars exploration, with SpaceX actively developing its Starship rocket, designed to carry humans to Mars and beyond. He has set ambitious timelines, previously stating that the first crewed mission to Mars could happen within the next decade. He recently announced that SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft could launch to Mars as early as next year, with human missions possible by 2029 or 2031.
In an X post, the SpaceX CEO wrote: “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.”
SpaceX faces setback as Starship test fails
SpaceX’s plans for Mars took a hit after its Starship vehicle exploded during a test flight on March 6. This marks the second failure in two months, underscoring the technical challenges SpaceX must overcome to meet Elon Musk’s ambitious timeline for Mars exploration.
The test initially showed progress, with the Super Heavy booster successfully landing. However, the mission failed when multiple Raptor engines on the upper stage malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to spin out of control. Mission control lost communication about 9 minutes and 30 seconds after launch. Musk acknowledged the setback on social media, simply stating, “Rockets are hard.”
The SpaceX company recently celebrated its 23rd anniversary on March 14. “Happy 23rd Anniversary to @SpaceX! Founded on March 14, 2002, and still pushing the limits of what’s possible, here’s to the next chapter of making life multi-planetary!” Musk wrote on X.
