CancelledUncrewed Mars landing 2018
“Planning to send Dragon to Mars as soon as 2018. Red Dragons will inform overall Mars architecture, details…”
“I'd say towards the end of the year.”
— Elon Musk · Jan 6, 2026 · Moonshots #220 — answer on when Starship orbital refueling happens in 2026 ↗
The fine print
Fragmentary quote answering a refueling-timing question; verify against episode audio before publishing.
The Progression
Jan 6, 2026
The promise: “I'd say towards the end of the year.” · Moonshots #220 — answer on when Starship orbital refueling happens in 2026 ↗
Today · Jul 16, 2026
Status: Pending · 168 days left. Still waiting.
Orbital propellant transfer is the gating technology for any Starship Mars mission, and Musk has called off-Earth refueling the biggest hurdle to hitting the November-December 2026 Mars window. On the Moonshots podcast he placed the first orbital refueling demonstration toward the end of 2026 — a hard, checkable milestone.
Receipts
LAST CHECKED 2026-06-25More from the feed
Cancelled
PartialStarship reaches orbit
“This is going to sound totally nuts, but I think we want to try to reach orbit in less than six months.”
goalposts: 2020 → 2022 · moved 1×
Delivered · LateGlobal Starlink coverage by end of 2021
“Most of Earth by end of year, all by next year, then it's about densifying coverage.”
← Optimus a better surgeon than the best humans in 3 years (by 2029)
Supervised FSD approval in Europe by Feb 2026 →
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