Elon Musk says SpaceX flights on Earth will be like riding Disney’s Space Mountain
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk spoke about what it would be like to ride on a spacecraft that could take you across the world in just minutes.
Musk was answering social media users' questions about the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) when the subject changed. The Tesla CEO said the BFR could carry about 100 people per flight but when asked how many people a spacecraft could carry in an “Earth to Earth” trip, Musk said about 1,000 passengers.
“1,000 as all seats would be ‘coach’ & no toilets, pilot area or food galley needed. Most flights would only be 15 to 20 mins. It’s basically an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) traveling at Mach 25 that lands,” Musk tweeted.
When asked if passengers could “move around during the flight,” Musk compared the trip to a Disney World’s popular amusement park ride.
“That would be unwise,” he wrote. “Probably needs a restraint mechanism like Disney’s Space Mountain roller coaster. Would feel similar to Space Mountain in a lot of ways, but you’d exit on another continent.”
Earlier this week, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy set off in what was described by Musk as the company’s “most difficult launch.” The Falcon Heavy was launched Tuesday along with 24 research satellites from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. It was the third flight for a Falcon Heavy rocket, but the first ordered by the military.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
The Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket in use today. Each first-stage booster has nine engines, for a total of 27 firing simultaneously at liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The first Falcon Heavy launch was in February 2018. That test flight put Musk's red Tesla convertible into an orbit stretching past Mars.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.