Image: SpaceX
SpaceX has quietly updated its website to reveal that its Starship rocket system is targeting commercial cargo missions to the Moon in 2028 and to Mars in 2030, each priced at $100 million per metric ton of payload — or roughly $100,000 per kilogram.
According to new details published on SpaceX’s Moon and Mars mission pages, Starship cargo flights to both destinations will initially support research, development, and exploratory missions. The company says additional information on payload capacities, pricing, and timeframes is available by contacting its sales team.
SpaceX describes Starship as the most powerful launch system ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes in its fully reusable configuration and up to 250 tonnes expendable. Designed to be entirely reusable, Starship and its Super Heavy booster are intended to carry both crew and cargo to orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The lunar missions will also play a key role in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time in more than five decades. SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System will ferry astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface, starting with Artemis 3 — currently targeting a mid-2027 launch.
Meanwhile, on Mars, SpaceX envisions thousands of Starships eventually transporting people and equipment to establish a self-sustaining city. The company’s long-term goal is to launch multiple Starships daily to build out infrastructure on the Red Planet once interplanetary transfer windows open every 26 months.
SpaceX is currently preparing for its next major Starship test flight — the vehicle’s 11th — which is currently scheduled for Monday, October 13. The upcoming mission will use the current Starship V2 design, while the company plans to debut its next-generation V3 variant in the coming months. Elon Musk has said V3 will enter “heavy flight activity” in 2026, with SpaceX aiming for payload deliveries, in-orbit refueling, and its first attempt to catch a returning Starship stage.
Following a successful 10th flight in August that met all of SpaceX’s objectives, Starship continues to move closer to operational readiness. Musk recently noted that once Starship comes online, SpaceX could handle more than 95% of Earth’s payload to orbit.
