Robots don't need oxygen, food, or return trips. Send humanoids to build habitats and infrastructure first, then humans arrive to a ready-made base instead of dying in dust storms.
Send robots first. Let machines map risks, build shelters, and test systems so the first humans arrive as explorers, not crash-test dummies.
Send the metal guys first. Let robots build the base and tank the deadly radiation so we actually survive when we get there.
Send robots first to build the base and test the ground. No sense risking human lives on a planet we barely understand.
