Elon Musk said Spacex will just keep going, but SpaceX’s progression would be slowed down if the U.S. government doesn’t choose the company’s Dragon V2 as the next crew carrier to the International Space Station.
Spacex remains focused on creating technology that with enable large groups of people to travel to Mars.
“I’m hopeful that the first people could be taken to Mars in 10 to 12 years, I think it’s certainly possible for that to occur,” he said. “But the thing that matters long term is to have a self-sustaining city on Mars, to make life multiplanetary.”
He acknowledged that the company’s plans were too long-term to attract many hedge fund managers, which makes it hard for SpaceX to go public anytime soon.
Part of the funding could come from a float of the privately-held company on the stock exchange. This would be difficult, he said, given that the financial markets are obsessed with quarterly and annual goals – but it should be possible once the technology has been perfected.
“We need to get where things are steady and predictable,” Musk said. “Maybe we’re close to developing the Mars vehicle, or ideally we’ve flown it a few times, then I think going public would make more sense.”
Elon also said that he would continue to be involved with Tesla as far into the future as he could possibly tell…,” he said during an interview on CNBC’S “Closing Bell” on Tuesday. “I feel good about being able to produce a compelling mass-market car in the next three years.”
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.