Question 03 · How independent can AI become?
Is AI going to Mars with Elon Musk?
Short version
AI is already on Mars, though inside robots and not as a being of its own. Elon Musk had announced that humanoid robots would be sent to Mars on a Starship rocket at the end of 2026. In early 2026, SpaceX postponed this plan by years in favor of the Moon.
Long version
NASA's rovers on Mars have been driving partly on their own for years. Depending on the position of the planets, a radio signal takes several minutes to over 20 minutes for a one-way trip. Real-time control is therefore impossible. The rover plans short stretches itself and drives around obstacles. This is AI serving a mission that people have planned.
Musk wanted to use the launch window at the end of 2026, since Earth and Mars are only favorably aligned about every 26 months. Tesla's Optimus robots were meant to be on board, doing preparatory work for later human arrivals. In February 2026, SpaceX announced that it would focus on the Moon first. Musk spoke of pushing the Mars plans back by five to seven years.
Whether AI-controlled robots will ever set up outposts on Mars therefore remains open. What is certain is this: whether and when they fly is decided by people, budgets, and physics.
AI travels along, but it has no destination of its own.
Sources for this question
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (2021). NASA's self-driving Perseverance Mars rover "takes the wheel". https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-self-driving-perseverance-mars-rover-takes-the-wheel
- Al Jazeera. (2025, 30. Mai). Musk says 50-50 chance of sending uncrewed Starship to Mars by late 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/30/musk-says-50-50-chance-of-sending-uncrewed-starship-to-mars-by-late-2026
- Eyewitness News. (2026, 9. Februar). SpaceX shifts focus from Mars to Moon, Musk says. https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/02/09/spacex-shifts-focus-from-mars-to-moon-musk-says
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