HONG KONG, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he plans to send humans to Mars by 2025.
Musk expressed his plans for the future of space travel at the StartmeupHK Festival in Hong Kong and said he plans to reach the International Space Station himself in four or five years.
"I don't think it's that hard, honestly," he said. "It's not that hard to float around."
He also said he hopes to describe the architecture of the spacecraft that will travel to Mars in late September at the International Astronautical Conference in Mexico.
Musk's efforts to reach Mars are part of a larger plan to establish a city on the planet with the hopes of preserving mankind from extinction while also advancing the human race.
"Mars is the next natural step. In fact, it's the only planet we have a shot at establishing a self-sustaining city on," he said. "Once we do establish such a city, there will be strong forcing function for the improvement of space flight technology that will then enable us to establish colonies elsewhere in the solar system and ultimately extend beyond our solar system."
In addition to the preservation of mankind, Musk also believes that the sense of adventure would provide the world with inspiration.
"This would be an incredible adventure," he said. "It would be exciting and inspiring, and there needs to be things that excite and inspire people."
