The rocket and car entrepreneur told an audience in Adelaide, Australia, that he
would begin building the necessary ships to support the mission next year.
He says
he is refocusing his SpaceX company to work on just one type of vehicle that could
do all of the firm's current work and interplanetary travel. Known as the BFR, this
rocket system could also carry people rapidly around the Earth from city to city.
Elon Musk: "That's not a typo" "
Most of what people consider to be long-distance
trips could be completed in less than half-an-hour," he told the International
Astronautical Congress. Mr Musk first laid out his Mars ambitions at the IAC in 2016.
Twelve months on, he returned with more detail. His BFR, although still massive,
is now a little smaller at 106m in height and 9m in width.
HMS Ocean brings 60 tonnes of aid to Caribbean after Hurricane Irma
As the vessel prepared to dock in the waters of the British Virgin Islands, a UK task force chief said it was a "huge relief" that British overseas territories had so far escaped the worst of Hurricane Maria, which has claimed the lives of 19 people.
Brigadier John Ridge, second in command at the UK Joint Task Force, said: "The arrival of HMS Ocean is hugely significant.
HMS Ocean will also bring four landing craft and 10 new 4x4 trucks which have been donated by the government of Gibraltar. The Plymouth-based vessel, on top of the aid and equipment it is carrying, can produce 300 tonnes of drinking water and generate enough electricity to supply more than 8,000 homes.
