This article summarizes reporting by Yahoo Finance and Badar Shaikh.

Elon Musk Targets Annual Production of 10,000 Starships

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has outlined a production goal for the Starship rocket that would dwarf the output of the world’s largest commercial aircraft manufacturers. According to reporting by Yahoo Finance, Musk confirmed on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the company aims to manufacture Starships at a scale previously unseen in the aerospace industry.

The statement, made on January 4, 2026, came in response to a discussion regarding SpaceX’s potential to ramp up manufacturing to levels comparable to commercial aviation. Musk’s response suggested that the company is targeting a future where rockets are built with the frequency of jetliners.

The “Massive Volume” Objective

In the exchange on X, Musk engaged with a hypothesis suggesting SpaceX could eventually mirror the production rates of major aircraft manufacturers. As reported by Yahoo Finance, Musk validated this theory, indicating that the long-term strategy involves “massive volume.”

“Yes, at massive volume. Maybe as high as 10,000 ships per year.”

, Elon Musk, via X (as reported by Yahoo Finance)

This figure represents a significant escalation in SpaceX’s public targets. While Musk has previously discussed building a fleet of 1,000 Starships to facilitate Mars colonization, the specific mention of annual production at the 10,000-unit mark implies a continuous Manufacturing engine rather than a static fleet buildup.

AirPro News Analysis: Contextualizing the Numbers

To understand the scale of Musk’s 10,000-unit target, it is necessary to look at current aerospace benchmarks. For context, the global commercial aviation industry, led by Boeing and Airbus, produces significantly fewer units annually.

Data regarding aircraft production rates in 2024 and 2025 indicates that the Boeing 737 program targets approximately 450 to 600 aircraft per year. Similarly, the Airbus A320 family generally sees production rates between 600 and 900 units annually. Musk’s target of 10,000 rockets per year would effectively require a production rate 10 to 15 times higher than the combined output of the world’s two most prolific commercial jet programs.

Furthermore, the supply chain implications are immense. A full Starship stack, comprising the Super Heavy booster and the Ship, utilizes approximately 39 Raptor engines. Achieving an annual output of 10,000 ships would theoretically demand the production of nearly 390,000 rocket engines per year, a figure that exceeds current global jet engine production capabilities.

Mars Colonization as the Driver

The primary motivation behind this extreme production target appears to be the logistical requirements of establishing a self-sustaining city on Mars. Musk has frequently cited a goal of transporting one million tons of cargo and personnel to the Red Planet to ensure the colony’s survival.

Because the orbital alignment between Earth and Mars allows for efficient travel only once every 26 months, a massive fleet must be ready to launch in rapid succession during these narrow windows. A production rate of 10,000 units annually suggests a strategy that accounts for rapid fleet expansion, high attrition rates, or the potential use of Starship hulls as raw construction materials upon arrival at Mars.

Infrastructure and Feasibility

While the ambition is clear, the logistical hurdles remain substantial. Current environmental assessments and launch licenses, such as those for the Starbase facility in Texas, limit launch frequency to a fraction of this target. Scaling to 10,000 annual units would likely require:

• Global Manufacturing Hubs: Expansion beyond the current “Starfactory” to multiple gigafactory-style facilities.
• Fuel Production: A single Starship launch consumes over 1,000 tons of propellant. Launching thousands of times per year would require propellant production infrastructure on the scale of national energy grids.
• Launch Platforms: To mitigate noise and safety concerns, such a high cadence would likely necessitate a vast network of offshore launch platforms.

FAQ

What is the current production rate of Starship?

As of early 2026, SpaceX produces Starship prototypes at a rate of approximately one every two to three weeks, or roughly 20 per year.

Why does SpaceX need 10,000 Starships?

Elon Musk has stated that a self-sustaining city on Mars requires transporting one million tons of cargo. Achieving this within a reasonable timeframe requires a massive fleet launching during the brief Earth-Mars transfer windows that occur every 26 months.

Is 10,000 rockets per year realistic compared to airplanes?

Currently, no aerospace manufacturer produces complex vehicles at that volume. For comparison, the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 programs combined produce fewer than 1,500 aircraft per year.

Sources: Yahoo Finance