Tickets to Mars could eventually cost less than $500,000 (£391,400/€443,500), according to Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of private space firm SpaceX.
He said that the journey would become affordable enough for homeowners to easily relocate to live on Mars.
“Very dependent on volume, but I’m confident moving to Mars (return ticket is free) will one day cost less than $500k & maybe even below $100k,” Musk wrote on Twitter. “Low enough that most people in advanced economies could sell their home on Earth & move to Mars if they want.”
This will sound implausible, but I think there’s a path to build Starship / Super Heavy for less than Falcon 9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 11, 2019
SpaceX’s starship, a new craft that is going through the testing process, can hold 100 passengers and will launch to Earth orbit atop a huge rocket called Super Heavy.
“The goodwill of the public is critical to Starship’s success,” Musk wrote, before being asked how he would ensure the public stayed engaged with the project.
“Just planning on keeping the public informed about progress & setbacks. Will be some RUDs along the way, but excitement is guaranteed!”
RUD stands for rapid unscheduled disassemblies, which is how SpaceX refers to the events other people might call an explosion.
Image: – Interplanetary Transport System
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