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**The Hindu: Space Race Intensifies: Musk Aims for Mars Trip by Late 2026 Despite Starship Setbacks**

**June 1, 2025, 09:30 AM IST**

Following a string of recent test flight failures, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has reaffirmed his ambition to launch an uncrewed Starship mission to Mars by the end of 2026. The announcement, made in a video posted on SpaceX’s website, comes amidst growing global interest in Mars exploration, with NASA also planning crewed missions to the moon and eventually Mars in the coming decade.

Musk emphasized the importance of achieving in-orbit refueling and other critical technical milestones to meet the ambitious timeline. A successful launch in late 2026 would coincide with a favorable alignment between Earth and Mars, offering the shortest possible transit time. He estimates a 50% chance of meeting this deadline.

“The potential for a self-sustaining human settlement on Mars is a long-term goal that could have profound implications for humanity, offering a backup plan for our species,” Musk said. “We envision eventually launching 1,000 to 2,000 ships to Mars every two years to establish a self-sustaining permanent human settlement.” The first missions will involve humanoid robots of the Tesla Optimus design.

The announcement follows the latest Starship test flight, which ended in a fiery disintegration shortly after launch. Musk, however, remained optimistic, stating that the test provided valuable data and promising a more rapid testing schedule moving forward. He shrugged off the latest mishap saying it produced a lot of “good data to review” and promised a faster launch cadence for the next several test flights.

This timeline puts SpaceX in competition with NASA’s own Mars ambitions, adding another layer of excitement to the global space race. While NASA targets human missions to the moon around 2027, these advancements could pave the way for eventual collaboration on deep-space missions.

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