<p>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.</p><p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p><p>In November, <em>Reuters</em> 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.</p>.Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore return mission on as SpaceX launches NASA's Crew-10 mission.<p>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</p>
<p>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.</p><p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p><p>In November, <em>Reuters</em> 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.</p>.Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore return mission on as SpaceX launches NASA's Crew-10 mission.<p>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</p>