Watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's most detailed plans yet to start colonizing Mars in just 7 years
Elon Musk wants to build a metropolis on Mars starting in 2024.
At this year's International Astronautical Congress, Musk revealed some of the most detailed plans we've seen yet to achieve this goal.
It starts with building up a revenue stream using SpaceX's current fleet of reusable Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon spacecraft.
This will provide, Musk said, the funding necessary to build SpaceX's most powerful rocket, dubbed the Big F***ing Rocket (BFR for short).
Musk has big plans for the BFR. Namely, flying people from one end of the Earth to the other within record times, as well as deploying the stepping stones for his Mars metropolis by 2024.
But first, SpaceX will send two cargo ships full of supplies to Mars in 2022. Then, if all goes according to plan, in 2024 it will send two more cargo ships plus two crewed ships to the surface.
If SpaceX can pull this off, it will be the first in history to land humans on Mars. Musk admitted that the new 2022-2024 timeline was aspirational. Plus, the company has yet to test and fly its Falcon Heavy rocket - the precursor to its BFR.
However, Musk and SpaceX continue to push forward and perfect the advent of reusable rocket technology. So who knows where the future may take us?