Elon Musk plans to send Starship to space in 2026 for Mars mission

The periodic approach of Earth and Mars, which occurs every 26 months, offers a unique opportunity for interplanetary travel. Elon Musk aims to send the giant Starship rocket, currently in the development phase, to Mars by taking advantage of this window opening in November 2026. The first mission in Musk's plan will be entirely robotic and autonomous; this mission will lay the foundation for a future human settlement to be established on the planet.

However, the realization of this goal depends on SpaceX achieving an operation it has never accomplished in space before. The necessity of refueling the Starship in Earth orbit stands out as the biggest technical obstacle of the mission. While Elon Musk assesses the probability of the rocket being launched on time as one-to-one, tests of the rocket, which is planned to reduce spaceflight costs to one-tenth, are ongoing.

Musk's Mars vision goes beyond transportation to encompass establishing an autonomous city where millions of people will live. For the construction of this massive colony, it is planned that approximately 2,000 spacecraft will shuttle between the two planets every two years. With its height exceeding 120 meters and its fully reusable design, Starship is at the center of Musk's long-term Mars dream.