Elon Musk Mars Mission To Soon Launch With A Humanoid Robot

On 15 March 2025, the CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk took to his X account to share some details on the coming Mars mission that his space firm is preparing for. In his post, he says that the SpaceX launch for Mars will take place in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot will be aboard the launch vehicle.

Elon Musk’s Mars Mission Is Closer Than You Might Expect

Elon Musk has long been an advocate of relocating humans to Mars, a dream shared with a good amount of people around the world. While this dream doesn’t sit well, some scientists around the globe are actively launching missions to the Red Planet to better understand it and see if it can support life.

Countries like the US and China are at the forefront of these Mars missions, with both having working rovers that are currently studying the planet. In a recent X post, Elon Musk announced that in the fourth quarter of the year 2026, a SpaceX Starship will depart for Mars.

This Starship will carry a surprising payload, the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot that hit the launch stage back in 2024. Possibly, this robot might help us better understand how Mars will treat humans if we eventually make it to the planet in the near future.

Elon Musk adds that if the Starship landing on Mars in the fourth quarter of 2026 is successful, “then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely.” Based on this announcement, SpaceX has roughly 21 months to prepare to send an Optimus humanoid robot to Mars aboard a Starship.

What Role Will The Tesla Optimus Humanoid Robot Play On This Mars Mission?

The Tesla Optimus humanoid robot has been in testing for some years, but in 2024 the internet got to officially see it in action. This robot was one of the stars of the show during the Tesla WeRobot event that took place on 10 October 2024.

The global rollout for this humanoid robot is set for 2025 so we can see it become available for purchase with the year. Now, the humanoid robot is preparing to be the face of a remarkable mission for not only SpaceX but the entire space industry.

You might wonder what this humanoid robot will be doing on Mars, well we don’t know either. One fact is that this robot isn’t built to the capacity of the rovers that are exploring Mars.

So this might in itself be a publicity stunt for the Optimus robot, as it will be the first humanoid robot to step foot on Mars. Aside from the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot, the Starship to land on Mars in 2026 might carry other payloads, details on this might be available in the coming months.