Elon Musk has warned that the first people who get sent to Mars 'might die'.
Speaking to Peter Diamandis last Thursday (22 April), Musk shut down claims that flying off to Mars would be an 'escape hatch' for rich folks and instead laid bare the less-than-pleasant time the first Mars explorers would endure.
The 49-year-old said: "You might die, it's going to be uncomfortable and probably won't have good food."
Reiterating just how dangerous it will likely be, he said: "Honestly, a bunch of people will probably die in the beginning."
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Musk went on to say it will be an 'arduous and dangerous journey where you may not come back alive'.
The billionaire Space X boss admitted that it's 'not for everyone' but added that it will be a 'glorious adventure' and will be an 'amazing experience'.
This isn't the first time Musk has made it clear that his mission to Mars won't be a picnic for those involved.
At a virtual 'Humans to Mars' conference last September, Musk said that getting to the Red Planet isn't the hard part, but setting the planet up to support human life is where things will get rough.
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"Getting to Mars, I think, is not the fundamental issue," he said.
"The fundamental issue is building a base, building a city on Mars that is self-sustaining.
"We're going to build a propellant plant, an initial Mars base - Mars Base Alpha - and then get it to the point where it's self-sustaining.
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"I want to emphasise that this is a very hard and dangerous, difficult thing, not for the faint of heart. Good chance you'll die, it's going to be tough going, but it will be pretty glorious if it works out."
Musk reckons we'll have humans on Mars by 2026 and wants a million people living on the planet by 2050.
Speaking in December, he said: "I feel fairly confident about six years from now.
"The Earth-Mars synchronisation occurs roughly every 26 months, so we had one this year, in the summer. That means in roughly two years there'll be another one, and then two years after that.
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"So I think six years from now, highly confident, if we get lucky, maybe four years. And then we want to try to send an un-crewed vehicle there in two years."
Featured Image Credit: PA