Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, has been very vocal for years about his dream to send humans to Mars. Since the early 2000s, he’s been talking about making life on Mars possible, even going as far as trying to buy a rocket from Russia in his early efforts.
In 2011, he said he wanted to get someone to Mars within ten years. By 2016, he shared his first big plans to colonize the planet, imagining a future where humans could live on Mars if Earth ever became uninhabitable.
His interest in Mars started when he was a kid, after reading a science fiction book called Foundation by Isaac Asimov. That story inspired him to think about the future of humanity beyond Earth.
Now, at 53 years old, Musk is still pushing forward with his Mars mission. He recently explained that he sees Mars as a kind of backup plan for humanity like insurance in case something terrible happens to Earth.
In an interview with Fox News, he said that eventually, the sun will expand and destroy the Earth. While scientists believe that won’t happen for billions of years, Musk thinks we should prepare now by becoming a “multi-planet” species.
He emphasized that Mars needs to become fully independent from Earth able to survive on its own without needing constant help or supplies. If it can’t, he said, then we haven’t really secured a future for human life.
As part of this vision, Musk revealed that SpaceX plans to send robots to Mars in 2026. These robots, called Optimus, were first shown to the public in 2024.
Musk says they’re meant to help with everyday tasks and could eventually assist with building a new society on Mars. According to him, these robots could do things like teach, babysit, walk dogs, mow lawns, shop for groceries, or even just keep people company.
However, experts say we’re still a long way from sending people to Mars. Chris Impey, a professor of astronomy, explained that the rocket Musk wants to use the Starship still needs a lot more testing before it’s ready for human travel.
He doubts people will land on Mars any time soon, especially during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Recently, Musk stepped away from a government role focused on cutting costs, a team he was helping under Trump’s administration. Trump commented that it was time to let Musk focus on his Mars goals, calling him a “great patriot” and saying Tesla would be in good hands as Musk returns to focusing more on the company and his space ambitions.
