SpaceX CEO Elon Musk met with TED Conferences CEO Chris Anderson just hours after offering to buy Twitter, the world’s second-largest social media platform, for $43 billion.
During the interview, Musk expresses his desire to have a “positive” attitude toward the future, and that in order to do so, people must be given something to look forward to. Going to Mars is one of the massive goals Musk has set for himself, but he warns that the living conditions on Mars will not be for the faint of heart.
During the conversation, Musk argues that the first humans to land on Mars and begin the colonization process will not be living in luxury, but rather in “risk, confined, unpleasant, hard work.” Participants “may not make it back,” he adds.
Musk has already made strides toward putting humans on Mars by developing SpaceX’s 400-foot reusable Starship rocket, which can deliver 150 tons of cargo into orbit.
SpaceX is presently prepping for Starship’s first orbital test flight, and Musk says throughout the conversation that the first attempt is “looking promising” and will take place “in a few months”.
Musk envisions many of SpaceX’s Starship rockets launching from Earth and carrying hundreds of humans to Mars sometime in the 2030s.
