Elon Musk on the Historic SpaceX Falcon 9 Landing: “A City on Mars is Possible”

Elon Musk has spoken about his company SpaceX’s successful landing of the Falcon 9, an historic moment which has seen the science world take one big step towards a future of reusable rockets and minimized launch costs.

Speaking to the press following the Falcon 9’s landing, Musk said: “It’s a revolutionary moment. No-one has ever brought a booster, an orbital-class booster, back intact.”

Musk noted how the Falcon 9’s launch was not just a practice flight, but part of a mission laid out by his company, adding: “We achieved recovery of the rocket in a mission that actually deployed 11 satellites.” 

Also See: Watch the Incredible Landing of the SpaceX Falcon 9

The most notable quote in Musk’s press conference came when he discussed how the Falcon 9’s safe landing could contribute to the future colonization of Mars, with the billionaire saying: “I think it really quite dramatically improves my confidence that a city on Mars is possible. That’s what all this is about.”

Speaking about why colonizing Mars is important, he added: “I think that there’s so much more to understand and learn about the nature of the universe, and that understanding will grow proportional to the scope and scale of civilization. The probable life span of human civilization is much greater if we’re a multi-planet species as opposed to a single-planet species.”

However, despite the Falcon 9 being reusable, Musk stated that SpaceX would likely not send it into orbit again given its historical significance, concluding: “I think we’ll probably keep this one on the ground, just [because] it’s kind of unique, it’s the first one we’ve brought back.”