India, March 15 -- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Saturday 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.

In a post on X, Elon Musk said, "Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely."

SpaceX, which was founded on March 14, 2002, just marked its 23rd anniversary.

The past eight Starship test launches have all failed, with the most recent explosion of a Starship craft being on March 7. The spacecraft exploded minutes after launching into space, leading to space debris raining down.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)...