NASA removed two astronauts from its Crew-9 mission to allow for Williams and Wilmore to join the cohort, and return onboard the SpaceX Dragon − which carries four people at a time. The altered Crew-9 − only Hague and Gorbunov − launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom in late September.

Under SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's vision, humans could then land on the Red Planet in 2029, though he admitted 2031 is "more likely."

His new “Starships” have lost control and come apart over the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos. Do Americans really believe he will be more mindful with government programs they rely on?

Elon Musk says SpaceX will go to Mars at the end of 2026 with Tesla's Optimus, a humanoid robot. If all goes well, humans could be headed to the red planet in 2029, Musk says.

Musk—who has a history of setting unrealized goals for his companies—says he wants to send humans to Mars by 2029, though he says 2031 may be more likely.