Elon Musk Plans Uncrewed Mars Launch in 2026

Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX aims to launch its first uncrewed missions to Mars in 2026, with the goal of testing the reliability of landing intact on the Martian surface. If successful, the first crewed missions are planned for 2028, marking a significant milestone in Musk's vision of making humanity a multiplanetary species. The overall objective is to build a self-sustaining city on Mars within 20 years, which Musk believes will significantly increase the lifespan of human consciousness. This ambitious timeline comes as SpaceX continues to develop and test its Starship rocket, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built. However, achieving this goal will require major advancements in technology and cost reductions, as the current cost to transport useful payloads to Mars is around $1 billion per ton, which needs to decrease to $100,000 per ton.