After leaving the Trump administration, Elon Musk has revealed his new and ambitious plans for SpaceX.
The world's richest man hosted an event on Thursday where he outlined the company's strategy for colonizing Mars, while describing what he calls the next phase of space exploration, writes the Daily Mail.
Musk said SpaceX aims to send the first crewed Starship mission to the red planet in 2026, with a Tesla Optimus robot on board.
"Two years later, we will send people thinking that the first missions will be successful," Musk said.
The first crewed trips will likely involve a small number of them and will focus on building and solving infrastructure problems on the surface of Mars.
The plan hinges on the development of new Starship ships that Musk says will have 9 engines, improved heat shielding and increased payload capacity.
He said SpaceX's factory in Texas, which he described as "the largest structure in the world," designed to enable the journey of millions of people to Mars, will produce 1,000 Starships a year.
Despite his departure from the Trump administration, where he expressed admiration for the US president but disappointment over the $3.8 trillion spending bill, Musk has no intention of backing down from his vision.
He revealed that “Gigabays” are being developed in Texas and Florida. These structures are vertical integration sites where Starship and Super Heavy rockets are placed in preparation for launch.
Musk said he will also increase production of Starlink satellites to about 5,000 units per year, many of which will be sent to Mars.