The Red Planet and Earth align properly for interplanetary missions just once every 26 months. The next such opportunity comes in 2026 between the months of November and December, and SpaceX will try to hit it; the goal is to send five Starship Version 3 vehicles to the Red Planet to prove out the vehicle and its associated tech, Musk said.

These phrases may seem concerning, but they're part of SpaceX's "fail fast, learn fast" methodology. The explosions in January and March were caused by oxygen and fuel leaks near the ship's engine, causing an immediate inferno.