Elon Musk says ICBMs with missing parts will be the fastest way for humans to travel

Elon Musk has appeared in front of all SpaceX employees to congratulate them on their efforts throughout 2023, while also discussing what the company expects it will be able to achieve throughout 2024.

Skip to 42:00 for Starship

Musk's presentation saved Starship for last, the world's biggest and most powerful rocket, or the crown jewel of SpaceX's development. Starship is designed to be the mode of transportation to Mars, and has purposely been built with carry capacity in mind. Current estimates put Starships payload anywhere between 100 and 150 tons, which is enough to begin occupying the Red Planet with a small base. However, SpaceX needs Starship to get to orbit first.

During the presentation Musk said that Starship "down the road" will come with approximately 20 million pounds of thrust, which is three times the thrust of Saturn V, the rocket NASA used to take humans to the moon. Musk goes on to say that in the future when Starship can reach orbit it will "fly a lot", reaching "several times a day" from multiple locations around the world. Musk adds that he thinks there is a "pretty good chance" Starship will do "Earth to Earth transport as well".

The SpaceX CEO explains "because the fastest way to get from one place to another on Earth, or here to the other side of Earth, is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). But just make sure you delete the nuke and add the landing part."

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