The SpaceX CEO bailed on a company discussion about colonizing Mars, an otherwise favorite topic for the billionaire.

The lost six months confirm that Elon Musk, SpaceX’s boss, will not be able to send uncrewed Starships to Mars next year, as he had claimed he intended to. The problems also cast serious doubt on the company’s ability to land an uncrewed Starship on the Moon next year as a precursor to delivering a crew there the year after as part of NASA’s “Artemis” programme.

Elon Musk was expected on Tuesday to present an update on SpaceX's plan to launch missions to Mars ahead of a high-stakes Starship test flight later in the day. Musk, the world's richest person and a key supporter of U.

Elon Musk outstripped all other political donors in the 2024 election cycle, contributing around $292 million to political causes. Musk, who owns Tesla and SpaceX, spent almost $100 million more than the second biggest contributor,