Next year, SpaceX plans to send Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robot to Mars.

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      The year 2025 is set to be crucial for Tesla's humanoid robot initiatives, according to CEO Elon Musk. However, next year could represent a significant achievement for the company's Optimus robot, specifically in a literal sense.

      In a post on X, Musk stated that SpaceX plans to send an Optimus robot to Mars atop its flagship Starship rocket by the end of 2026. Just over a week ago, the Starship experienced a breakup after a launch test, marking the second failure of the year.

      “Starship is scheduled to depart for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus,” Musk wrote in his post on X. “If the landings are successful, human missions could commence as early as 2029, though 2031 is more probable.”

      This isn't the first time Musk has made such a statement. Last November, he noted that SpaceX could launch "multiple uncrewed Starships" to Mars in a few years with Optimus robots among the cargo.

      Tesla unveiled an updated version of the Optimus robot at a lavish event in late 2024. During the event, Musk declared that Optimus was “the biggest product ever of any kind.” It was later revealed the robots were remotely controlled by humans present at the event.

      During the company's Q4 2024 earnings call, Musk provided more details on production plans, suggesting the product could exceed $10 trillion in revenue potential and expressed intentions to manufacture thousands of humanoid robots in 2025.

      “Will those several thousand Optimus robots be performing useful tasks by year-end? Yes, I’m confident they will,” Musk said. He previously estimated the price of Optimus to be between $20,000 and $30,000.

      As for the ambition of sending Optimus to Mars, it seems more like a technical demonstration. The more significant concern is whether Starship can successfully conduct an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026.

      NASA is relying on the Starship for its Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon by 2027. Long-term plans also include crewed missions to Mars, contingent on the technical success of the Moon missions.

      Nadeem is a tech and science journalist who began exploring cool smartphone technology out of curiosity and eventually...

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