Elon Musk intends to launch a spacecraft to Mars in 2019

Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, said he was preparing to launch a spacecraft to Mars next year.
"We are building an interplanetary ship now," Musk said in an answer at the SXSW event in Austin, Texas. "And maybe we will be able to make short flights, fly back and forth in the first half of next year."

Musk said that his ship, scientifically named Big Falcon Rocket - would be able to significantly reduce the cost of a space flight to Mars because it would be reusable. When asked about the possibility of reuse, Musk said that this is the basic point of the spacecraft and also a necessary breakthrough.

After a series of short flights, Musk said he hoped to be able to carry out the mission to transport cargo to Mars by 2022.

Musk says the goal is to start a human colony on Mars and the first flights into space will start planting seeds on it.

"Once you can get there, chances of survival are huge," Musk said. "We will try our best to achieve that and make sure that there will be an environment where people can grow."

Musk said the Big Falcon Rocket could also be used to travel to different points on Earth, with the ability to make flights from New York City to Shanghai take less than 40 minutes.