Musk said that should a third world war happen here on Earth, it would be crucial that humans could live on Mars.
Elon Musk , CEO of SpaceX , has revealed the new timeline for test flights of the spaceships that could one day take humans to Mars.
Speaking at the South by South West festival in Austin, Musk said that SpaceX was making ‘good progress on the ship and the booster’ and that test flights could happen in a matter of months.
He said: “I think we’ll be able to do short flights, up and down flights, some time in the first half of next year.”
Musk explained that should a third world war happen here on Earth, it would be crucial that humans could live on Mars.
He said: “We want to make sure that there’s enough of a seed of human civilisation somewhere else to bring civilisation back, and perhaps shorten the length of the Dark Ages.
“I think a moon base and a Mars base that could perhaps help regenerate life back here on Earth would be really important.”
Musk also touched on how he imagines the first society on Mars would operate.
He said: “I think most likely the form of government on Mars would be a direct democracy, where people vote directly on issues.
“Everyone votes on every issue and that’s how it goes.”
Thankfully, Musk added that he also sees there being pizza restaurants and bars on the red planet, which he suggested could be called ‘Mars Bar.’
