The Red Planet and Earth align properly for interplanetary missions just once every 26 months. The next such opportunity comes in 2026, in November and December, and SpaceX will try to hit it; the goal is to send five Starship Version 3 vehicles to the Red Planet to prove out the vehicle and its associated tech, Musk said.

SpaceX shared a video in which founder Elon Musk gave a timeline for the company's Starship to reach Mars in the years ahead.