It is expected that SpaceX will send five uncrewed starships to Mars within two years, according to Elon Musk

SpaceX is gearing up to launch around five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars over the next two years, as revealed by CEO Elon Musk on Sunday (September 23) in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Earlier this month, Musk had indicated that the first Starship missions to Mars would be initiated in two years, aligning with the next Earth-Mars transfer window.

In his recent update, Musk highlighted that the timeline for the first crewed mission to Mars would be determined by the success of these initial uncrewed flights. Should these uncrewed missions manage to land without issues, SpaceX aims to launch a crewed mission in four years. However, if any complications arise, the timeline for crewed missions would be pushed back by an additional two years, as per Musk’s statement.

It’s worth noting that Musk is known for his frequently shifting timelines regarding Starship’s development and readiness. Earlier this year, he had predicted that the first uncrewed Starship could land on Mars within five years, with the initial human landing on the Red Planet occurring within seven years.

Back in June, SpaceX made a significant breakthrough when a Starship rocket survived a high-velocity, hypersonic re-entry from space and completed a landmark landing in the Indian Ocean. This successful mission marked the first time that the Starship completed a full test flight around the globe on its fourth attempt.

Musk envisions Starship as a critical component in his broader goal of building a large, versatile next-generation spacecraft capable of carrying both passengers and cargo to the moon later in the decade, eventually paving the way for missions to Mars.

Meanwhile, NASA announced earlier this year a delay in its Artemis 3 mission, which involves the first crewed moon landing in over fifty years using SpaceX’s Starship. This mission, initially slated for late 2025, has now been postponed to September 2026.

Additionally, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa canceled his private lunar mission aboard SpaceX’s Starship in June, citing uncertainties regarding the rocket’s developmental schedule. This mission was supposed to take him and a group of passengers around the moon.