The billionaire says an unmanned mission by his SpaceX "Starship" vehicle will be followed by human landings as early as 2029.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that the Starship rocket would depart for Mars at the end of 2026. The spacecraft will also carry Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus onboard, as a precursor to human landings.

Elon Musk announced Starship's journey to Mars with a Tesla humanoid bot by the end of 2026. Meanwhile, SpaceX successfully delivered a new crew to the International Space Station in a NASA mission, allowing previously stuck astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return home after nine months.