In a conversation with Peter Diamandis, the founder of the X Prize Foundation, SpaceX founder Elon Musk admits ‘a bunch of people will probably die’ during SpaceX’s initial mission to Mars but insists that it will be a ‘glorious adventure and amazing experience.’
“Going to Mars reads like that advert for Shackleton going to the Antarctic. You know it is dangerous, it's uncomfortable and it's a long journey,” he said.
“You might not come back alive but it is a glorious adventure and it will be an amazing experience. Yeah, honestly a bunch of people will probably die in the beginning.”
“It's tough going over there.”
While what Musk said seems morbid, the dangers of the mission is to be expected and an honest observation from Musk. After all, the first group of people in the Mars mission will be pioneers and there will be hiccups in the process of establishing a self-sustaining Martian civilization.
Previously, Musk has said he hopes to get humans on Mars by 2026 which is seven years earlier than NASA’s proposed mission to put the first humans on Mars by 2033.
As such, Musk said there are a number of technological advances that need to be made between now and 2026 so humans can travel to Mars safely.
This means making sure Starship is fully reusable and be able to reach orbit, where it’s able to refuel before getting ready for the six-month long journey to Mars.
