SpaceX is aiming to launch approximately five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars over the next two years, according to CEO Elon Musk, who shared the update on Sunday via social media platform X.
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Earlier this month, Musk mentioned that the initial Starship missions to Mars would occur within two years, coinciding with the next Earth-Mars transfer window. On Sunday, he elaborated on the timeline for crewed missions, explaining that their scheduling would hinge on the success of the uncrewed flights. Should the uncrewed missions land successfully, SpaceX plans to launch crewed missions to Mars within four years. However, if complications arise, the timeline for crewed missions will be extended by another two years, Musk added.
Musk, known for frequently revising Starship’s development timeline, had previously projected that the first uncrewed Starship could land on Mars within five years, with humans following within seven years. These estimates were made earlier this year.
In June, SpaceX achieved a significant milestone when a Starship rocket survived a high-speed, fiery return from space. It successfully completed a hypersonic re-entry and demonstrated a breakthrough landing in the Indian Ocean. This marked the completion of the rocket’s fourth attempt at a full test mission around the globe.
Musk envisions Starship as a pivotal element in his broader goal of building a large, versatile next-generation spacecraft capable of transporting both people and cargo to the moon by the end of this decade, with Mars as the ultimate destination.
NASA, which had been planning to use SpaceX’s Starship for its Artemis 3 mission—the first crewed moon landing in over 50 years—has postponed the mission to September 2026, from its earlier schedule of late 2025.
Additionally, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who had booked a private mission around the moon aboard Starship, cancelled his plans in June. He cited uncertainties in the rocket’s development schedule as the reason for withdrawing from the mission.
