Starship, Starlink and Mars: inside Musk’s space ambitions

Elon Musk has said many times that he founded SpaceX to help make humanity “multi-planetary” — able to live on more than one world. Two projects sit at the heart of that plan: the giant Starship rocket and the Starlink satellite network that helps pay for it.

Starship: the biggest rocket ever built

Starship is a two-stage launch system: a huge first stage called Super Heavy and an upper stage, also called Starship. Stacked together they stand about 120 metres tall, making it the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown.

Its key feature is that both stages are designed to be fully reusable, landing and flying again like an aircraft. If that works reliably, the cost of sending cargo and people into space could fall dramatically.

A test programme of fast failures

SpaceX develops Starship by flying, failing, learning and flying again. Early test flights from its Starbase site in south Texas, which began in 2023, ended in explosions. Later flights achieved major milestones:

• October 2024: the launch tower’s mechanical arms caught a returning Super Heavy booster for the first time.
• 2025: several flights tested the upper stage and its heat shield, with mixed results.
• 28 September 2026: Starship’s 14th flight became the first to reach orbit, and it deployed Starlink V3 satellites.

Artemis and the Moon

NASA chose a version of Starship as the lander to return astronauts to the Moon’s surface in its Artemis programme. That requires refuelling in orbit — transferring large amounts of propellant between Starships — which SpaceX still has to demonstrate.

Starlink: internet from space

Starlink is a network of thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit. It provides high-speed internet to homes, ships, aircraft and remote areas where cables do not reach.

• It is the largest satellite constellation ever built.
• It has millions of customers in more than 100 countries.
• It has played a role in disaster zones and conflict areas.

Starlink is now SpaceX’s biggest business, and its income helps fund Starship.

Starlink in India

Starlink has received the main regulatory approvals required to offer satellite internet in India. At the time of writing, a full commercial launch with prices and availability had not been confirmed. When it arrives, it is expected to focus on rural and remote areas, competing with services from Indian companies.

The Mars plan

Musk’s long-term goal is a self-sustaining city on Mars. His plan relies on:

1. Reusable Starships to carry large amounts of cargo and people.
2. Refuelling in orbit before the long journey.
3. Launch windows — Earth and Mars line up favourably about every 26 months.
4. Making fuel on Mars from water ice and carbon dioxide so ships can return.

Musk has repeatedly set ambitious dates for uncrewed and crewed missions to Mars, and those dates have often slipped. Many space experts believe a human landing is still years away.

The critics

Scientists and environmental groups raise concerns about the growing number of satellites, which can affect astronomy, and about space debris. Others question whether a Mars city is practical. Supporters argue that cheaper access to space benefits science, communication and exploration as a whole.

Why it matters

Whatever happens with Mars, Starship and Starlink are already changing the space industry. Rival companies and space agencies, including India’s ISRO, are working on reusable rockets and satellite constellations of their own. For Musk, every successful Starship flight is a step toward the goal that started SpaceX in 2002.