SpaceX will start launching Starships to Mars in 2026, Elon Musk says

SpaceX's Starship megarocket will start flying Mars missions just two years from now, if all goes according to plan.

These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars. If those landings go well

Flight rate will grow exponentially from there, with the goal of building a self-sustaining city in about 20 years

Being multiplanetary will vastly increase the probable lifespan of consciousness

The stainless-steel Starship consists of two elements: a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship.

A stacked Starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. It stands about 400 feet (122 meters) tall and generates 16.7 million pounds

SLS is expendable, but Starship is designed to be fully and rapidly reusable. Indeed

SpaceX plans to land Super Heavy back on the launch mount after each liftoff

SpaceX believes that Starship's combination of brawn and efficiency will finally bring Mars settlement