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.

SpaceX aims to launch its first uncrewed mission to Mars by late next year using the fully reusable Starship system.

"The mishap investigation is focused only on the loss of the Starship vehicle, which did not complete its launch or reentry as planned."

Ultimately, though, Starship's ninth test flight became its third in a row to end in fiery failure.