. He added, however, that going to Mars is not his top priority. During today’s talk, many will be watching to see if Musk addresses the numerous technical challenges he will face on the road to Mars, namely the in-orbit refueling of Starship. To make it to Mars, the rocket must first replenish the enormous amount of fuel it will have burned during its ascent. This will require “tanker” Starships to deliver liquid oxygen and methane propellants to a depot in orbit, according to SpaceNews . A Mars-bound Starship could then use this depot to fuel up before traveling beyond Earth’s orbit. But this architecture is a long way away from being operational. SpaceX originally said it would demonstrate in-orbit refueling in March 2025, when two Starships will dock in orbit with one transferring propellants to the other. But Starship launch delays have pushed the timing of that mission back indefinitely. NASA will be closely watching today’s launch as the agency plans to use Starship to ferry astronauts to the Moon on the Artemis 3 mission, which is currently scheduled for mid-2027. This mission was delayed from late 2026 partly due to setbacks with SpaceX’s Starship program, Spaceflight Now reports