Tech Desk 
Jun 01, 2025
Efforts have been underway to bring humanity's dream, to land on Martian soil, to fruition for decades, but tech tycoon Elon Musk's promise seems to fulfil this dream next year, as SpaceX's Starship carried out another test, which resulted in the loss of both the upper and lower stages after an explosion.
Despite the setback, the upper stage of the rocket reached space for the first time, proving that there's still much to achieve for the world's most powerful rocket, which is believed to take humans to Mars in the near future.
Unbothered by the recent failure, Musk recently announced plans to send “millions of people” to Mars to establish a “self-sustaining civilisation.”
The multi-billionaire seems determined to launch a Starship to Mars by 2026, followed by a crewed mission in late 2028 or early 2029, as reported by Digital Trends.
In an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Musk stated: “If we’re lucky, we’ve probably got about a 50% chance of sending ships from Earth to Mars at the end of next year.”
Critics are of the view that previous timelines, such as a Starship landing on the moon by 2022, have not been met, raising questions about the accuracy and timeliness of future missions.
