'Something crazy, like World War III': Mars will save humans if a catastrophic conflict breaks out, Musk says

Elon Musk has once again spoken about his plans of colonising Mars in a company talk shared by SpaceX on its X page. The CEO of the company is hopeful of sending the Starship carrying a simulated crew to Mars at the end of 2026. He reiterated the need for humans to have a backup ready in case they do "something crazy, like World War III."

The video was originally meant to be released on Tuesday, on the day the ninth test flight of Starship was launched. However, it failed miserably. The company then dropped the 42-minute video on Thursday.

Musk said that there is a 50-50 chance that the Starship would meet the 2026 deadline. Dec is when the tiny window opens when the red planet and Earth come at the closest distance to each other.

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However, if that doesn't happen, then SpaceX will wait till 2028 since Mars reaches perigee only once every two years. The crew would comprise Optimus humanoid robots that Tesla builds.

"That would be an epic picture — to see Optimus walking around on the surface of Mars," he said.

Humans have to become multi-planetary, says Musk

It isn't known when the video was shot. After the Tuesday test launch of Starship failed, Musk said that the company would try to learn from it. During the talk, Musk also reiterated the need to learn and make life multi-planetary.

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“Each launch is about learning more and more about what’s needed to make life multi-planetary and to improve Starship to the point where it can be taking, ultimately, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people to Mars," he said.

Musk again stressed the need for humans to become multiplanetary, because this is important "for the long-term survival of civilisation." He claims a species that has options to go to other planets lasts 10 times longer. Musk also think it is important to have Mars as an option if humans do "something crazy like World War III."

“Hopefully not, but it’s possible.”

Refuelling Starship mid-space is a challenge

The main hurdle, Musk says, that SpaceX faces in this venture is mastering off-Earth refuelling of the Ship.

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If all goes well, then Musk will start sending humans to Mars by the start of the next decade. Between 2028 and 2029, around 20 ships will be sent to the Red Planet.

"Assuming the first missions are successful and they land successfully, we'd send humans on the next mission, and we really start building the infrastructure for Mars," Musk said.

He even has a place picked out on Mars where humans can survive. Arcadia Planitia is a volcanic plain in the northern hemisphere, which is away from the freezing Martian poles, is flat enough for a landing, and also likely has water ice.

SpaceX plans on sending 100 Starships to Mars between 2030 and 2031, scaling it up to 500 in 2033, as seen in a slide in Musk's presentation. The end goal is to build a self-sustaining society comprising over a million people on Mars who can live without any help from Earth.