SpaceX aims to launch five uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years

SpaceX plans to send about five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars within the next two years, CEO Elon Musk revealed on Sunday through a post on the social media platform X.

The missions are timed to align with the next Earth-Mars transfer window. Musk stated that the timeline for the first crewed Mars missions will depend on the success of these uncrewed flights. If successful, crewed missions could begin in four years, though any setbacks could delay them by another two years.

Musk has previously offered varying timelines for Starship's readiness, suggesting earlier this year that the first uncrewed mission to Mars would happen within five years, with human landings following within seven. SpaceX's Starship, which recently completed a successful return to Earth after a hypersonic test flight in June, is central to Musk’s goal of creating a next-generation spacecraft capable of transporting humans and cargo to both the Moon and Mars.

NASA, which has contracted SpaceX's Starship for its Artemis 3 mission, has delayed its first crewed Moon landing to September 2026. Additionally, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa recently canceled a private mission around the Moon on a Starship due to development schedule uncertainties.