Elon Musk Gets Real About The Mars Expedition: 'People Might Die, So Volunteers Only'

Elon Musk is giving it straight to anyone thinking about going on SpaceX’s expedition to Mars.

The 49-year-old tech mogul opened in a recent interview about how those thinking of going in the first crewed flight to the red planet might die on their way there, or on the planet itself.

“Going to Mars reads like that ad book for [explorer Ernest] Shackleton going to the Antarctic,” he shared. “It’s dangerous, it’s uncomfortable, it’s a long journey. You might not come back alive. But it’s a glorious adventure, and it’ll be an amazing experience.”

Elon continued on, “You might die… and you probably won’t have good food and all these things. It’s an arduous and dangerous journey where you may not come back alive, but it’s a glorious adventure. Sounds appealing. Mars is the place. That’s the ad, that’s the ad for Mars.”

He added that the mission is still receiving applications for the expedition and Elon reiterated that “a bunch of people probably will die in the beginning.”

“It’s tough sledding over there, you know? … We don’t want to make anyone go, so… Volunteers only,” Elon said.

This isn’t the first time Elon has mentioned people might die on the flight.

Back in 2016, he also expressed the same thing to Space.com, saying that he “would definitely need to have a very good succession plan, because the probability of death is quite high on the first mission, and I’d like to see my kids grow up and everything — so, some pros and cons there.”

Elon has been in the headlines a lot today, as some SNL stars are not happy with him coming to host the sketch show.