Elon Musk has got some strong views on the future of our dearly beloved planet Earth, and some might seem contradictory. Indeed, he believes people should be making as many babies as they possibly can, a principle he seems to apply to himself too. However, he also claims the Earth is destined to be destroyed by the sun, which is why he wants to take over Mars.
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Elon Musk reveals why he wants to colonise Mars
All children who go to school eventually learn that the sun will probably blow up in about five billion years, as it runs out of energy. Well, Elon Musk has decided he wants to do something about it. Indeed, he wants to colonise planet Mars. For years, the billionaire has poured his money into a project which aims at making human life sustainable on Mars, something that is currently impossible. On Monday 5 May 2025, he was asked about his reasons for colonising Mars by Jesse Watters, a Fox News journalist. He explained he does not intend to stop at Mars, and instead he wants to build a 'multi-planet civilization', which also includes the Moon:
Mars is life insurance for life collectively. So, eventually, all life on Earth will be destroyed by the sun. The sun is gradually expanding, and so we do at some point need to be a multi-planet civilization because Earth will be incinerated.
His project will probably go on for many years, as there is still so much to do to make human life possible on Mars. Elon Musk wants to make it possible within his lifetime. He went on:
We have a long way to go because it's not just about landing on Mars and doing flags and footprints.
His first trip to Mars should take place next year
Elon Musk's project to colonise Mars relies on his 123-meter Starship, the biggest rocket ever made, which belongs to his SpaceX company. However, the company's testing has been unsuccessful so far, as it investigates several explosions that happened during flight tests 'to better understand the root cause'. While the billionaire wanted to make the first landings on Mars by 2029, the explosions delayed that possibility. As he posted on X, '2031 is more likely'.
As he recently announced, Elon Musk plans on launching his Starship rocket up to Mars next year, despite the recent incidents. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said SpaceX would be required to conduct an investigation before it could fly again, which the company is reportedly doing. There are high hopes regarding Elon Musk's mission for Mars as NASA also intends to use one of the rockets to safely send humans to the Moon, something that has not been done for decades. The last crew sent to the Moon was the Apollo 17 mission, which flew from 7 to 12 December 1979.
Read more:
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Elon Musk's former friend Sam Harris on how he became an 'enemy of the world's richest man'
Elon Musk's daughter Vivian opens up about father in new interview: 'He is a pathetic man-child'
Sources used:
Daily Mail: Elon Musk leaves Fox News host stunned as he reveals terrifying prediction all Americans should fear
BBC: Musk says first mission to Mars will launch next year
