Even 56 years after Neil Armstrong first took one giant leap for mankind, it still feels like space is a final frontier we’ve barely explored. We're still a way off from the futuristic world of Star Trek, but as technology advances faster than we can keep track of, we might be there before we know it.
It's hard to believe we haven't set foot on the Moon since 1972, and although SpaceX is hoping to break that streak with Artemis III's planned mid-2027 launch, the world's richest man thinks we should be setting our sights further afield.
The space race is heating up once again, but instead of being between the USA and Russia, it largely feels like it's between various corporations, as the likes of Elon Musk's SpaceX focus on exploration and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin turn their attention to the tourist market.
Musk has already been vocal about bringing down the International Space Station as soon as possible, but staring out into the stars, he has grand plans to colonize Mars.
Advert
Those dreams of President Musk of Mars just took another leap forward as SpaceX hit a major Mars mission milestone.
SpaceX confirmed that the tenth Starship flight test blasted off from Texas' Starbase on August 26, 2025. Importantly, it was the first time it was able to deploy a payload of dummy satellites.
Bloomberg called it the most successful Starship launch yet, which comes after a year of unfortunate mishaps and fiery crashes. It's hoped that Starship could soon replace the staple Falcon 9 rocket and lift Musk's Starlink satellites into space.
Beyond that, there's still some way to go before humans will be boarding Starship. Namely, SpaceX needs to overcome the problem of refueling Starships in space, which is something it's going to attempt for the first time in 2026.
The company also needs to prove that Starship is fully reusable, especially after chunks were seen peeling off during the latest launch.
Still, the success has obviously prompted questions about what's next for missions to Mars. It also reminds us of the bizarre 2024 rumors that claimed Musk wanted to colonize the planet with his own offspring.
It's no secret that he's discussed falling birth rates and apparently offered his own sperm out to those who want it, although he batted off claims that he was going to do this to keep Mars' population topped up.
The New York Times published a July 2024 article that said sources close to the SpaceX CEO relayed him volunteering his sperm to 'seed' a Martian colony.
Keen to stop the rumor mill, Mr. Musk took to X and quickly said: "I have not fwiw “volunteered my sperm” 😂."
It's also important to note he's never actually directly said he'll be one of those heading to Mars, but before we get there, the Moon is still calling.
SpaceX has been awarded around $4 billion worth of contracts from NASA, hopefully shuttling astronauts to the lunar surface via Starship.
Even though Mars might not be populated by a legion of Mini Musks, he still has his sights set on the Red Planet.