Starship, carrying Tesla's bot, set for Mars by end-2026: Elon Musk

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said on Friday that Starship is set to depart for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Tesla humanoid bot Optimus.

Musk suggested in a post on X that human landings could begin as early as 2029, though 2031 was more likely if the initial landings go well.

Musk told investors on a conference call in April last year that he expected Optimus would be able to perform tasks in the factory by the end of 2024.

In November, Reuters cited sources saying that Musk's dream of transporting humans to Mars would become a bigger national priority under US President Donald Trump, signalling big changes for NASA's moon programme and a boost for SpaceX.

Starship is crucial to SpaceX's future satellite launch business, a sector it currently dominates with its partially reusable Falcon 9, as well as Musk's aspirations to colonise Mars.