Elon Musk has been vocal about humanity’s need for a ‘second planet’ and said it essentially is a life-and-death matter.
As long as Musk has been a public figure, he has been very open about his plans to eventually colonize Mars.
Elon Musk says he wants to ‘die on Mars’
On one hand, it sounds great, a whole planet of free radioactive real estate, but on the other, we have so many problems down here on Earth that it is probably worth trying to address those before we head off into space.
But during a recent interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Musk hinted it is because of these reasons that we should consider getting off this ride and setting up another place for humanity to thrive.
Elon Musk has made his views clear on the importance of heading to Mars (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking on the podcast, Musk – who previously said he wanted to die on the Red Planet – explained: “My view is that we should move to Mars, well not move to Mars, we should have a second planet to preserve civilization.
“Let’s say hypothetically, [a civilization ending event] will probably happen to Earth at some point.
“It is a matter of time before we get hit by an asteroid or maybe we annihilate ourselves with nuclear war, or super volcanos.”
Rogan agreed and added there were a fair few doomsday scenarios that could befall our planet so it’s ‘not a bad idea’ to simply ‘hedge your bets’ when it comes to venturing elsewhere.
Musk insisted it is ‘only a matter of time’ until an asteroid strikes Earth (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
This fear over humanity’s destruction isn’t exactly unfounded in recent years.
This is clear when you remember the threat of nuclear war is constantly looming when nations with nuclear arsenals butt heads. As well as this, the pandemic is still a recent memory and showed how quickly normal life can change due to a rapidly spreading disease.
But more topically, asteroid fears have recently skyrocketed as NASA has continued to give updates on a ‘city-destroying’ asteroid that could strike as soon as seven years.
2024 YR4 was first spotted after it set off automated asteroid warning systems in December 2024, and astronomers have been tracking it ever since.Play
According to NASA, the space object measures around 130 to 300 feet across (40 to 90 meters), and should it hit Earth, the force would be hundreds of times the force of the Hiroshima bomb.
Most concerningly, the initial probability of the space rock striking Earth was just 1.2 percent but updates have seen this number increase to as high as 3.2 percent.
However, let’s hope that the percentage strike number starts going back down over the next few years.
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Elon Musk says he wants to ‘die on Mars’ in bizarre new interview with Trump
Elon Musk seemed to divide the internet with his comment
Donald Trump appeared to show that he had confidence in Elon Musk’s space goals as the billionaire cracked a bizarre joke in a new interview.
During a recent chat with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Musk and Trump revealed how they came to be aligned.
The Tesla CEO insisted that he was going to support the Republican in his presidency, but this move was ‘sped up’ after the assassination attempt on his life in Pennsylvania in July, 2024.
And even though Trump admitted he ‘settled’ on Musk after searching for ‘somebody smarter’, the president showed his support for the businessman’s technological and space objectives in the coming years.
Elon Musk says he wants to ‘die on Mars’
Trump told Hannity: “[Elon’s] going to go into orbit soon. He’s going to go to Mars.”
SpaceX founder Musk responded: “At some point, They ask me ‘Do you want to die on Mars?’ and I say ‘Yes but not on impact’.”
This was a joke that really seemed to tickle Trump as he let out a hearty laugh.
It also appeared to be a reference to the comment Musk made during a keynote address at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2013.
“I’d like to die on Mars, just not on impact,” he said at the time.
On social media, the moment seems to have divided people, with some praising the billionaire tech mogul for his light-hearted nature while others weren’t as amused.
One Twitter user joked: “I think Elon Musk should go to Mars as soon as possible & I think he should take Trump with him.”
Sean Hannity said he felt he was ‘interviewing two brothers’ (Fox News)
Another added: “Can we please send Elon on a one-way trip to Mars? And preferably sooner than later.”
While a third: “How soon can he leave to go to Mars?? Can he take Trump with him?? What a fantastic event that would be.”
But on the flip side, Musk’s supporters were more than happy to defend him and bring attention to the progress his companies have made in regard to space travel and rocket development.
One person replied: “Exploring Mars is the ultimate human adventure – but sticking the landing is definitely preferred! Love how both these visionaries can keep it real while pushing humanity’s boundaries.”
Musk has long talked about his dreams of colonizing Mars (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
A second commented: “Elon Musk always has a way with words! His vision for Mars colonization is no joke, though – he’s serious about making humanity a multi-planetary species. Trump’s comment just adds to the humor: ‘Elon’s gonna go into orbit soon.’”
Someone else wrote: “The most powerful leaders in the world proving they don’t see themselves as Kings but men and they still have humor.”
Musk has previously spoken about his plans to send humans to Mars while SpaceX has shared an animated clip showing how this could happen via the $3 billion Starship.
And back in March 2022, he tweeted that he sees 2029 as the earliest possible date to get humans on the Red Planet.
Regardless of how you feel about Musk and Trump, it seems Mars is somewhat on the agenda for the pair.
