Elon Musk might be determined to travel to Mars, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about closer to home.
The SpaceX founder has revealed that the Interplanetary Transport System spacecraft could actually be used to travel around Earth and could in theory, take you anywhere on the planet in under an hour.
Speaking at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Musk explained that the ITS would be attached to SpaceX’s new BFR (which stands for exactly what you think it does) and could propel passengers to most of the world in under 30 minutes and the rest of the globe in under an hour.
If you’re thinking that this is just a new and exciting way for the super rich to get from A to B you’re going to be sorely mistaken.
Musk claims that the cost would be around the same as a full-fare economy ticket.
As you can see from the promotional video above, the BFR detaches after doing the heavy lifting and lands itself back on the launchpad. The ITS then carries on with its journey and lands just 39 minutes later.
Musk’s vision of course extends beyond Earth, and the Interplanetary Transport System will be the flagship that he believes can take humans to Mars.