In a conversation with "Fox News," Elon Musk revealed that he wants to "protect humanity from annihilation" by sending people to Mars. The advisor to Donald Trump and the richest person in the world believes that colonizing the Red Planet is key to the survival of civilization.

Musk said in an interview this week with Fox News host Jesse Watters that his focus on Mars has to do with ensuring humanity's longterm survival.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk has strongly suggested that the ninth test flight of the massive Starship rocket will take place next week. “Just before the Starship flight next week, I will give a company talk explaining the Mars game plan in Starbase, Texas, that will also be live-streamed on X,” Musk said in a social media post on Wednesday.

Elon Musk is taking the long view. The billionaire SpaceX founder has long said that humanity needs to expand its footprint out into the solar system — specifically to Mars, which is the most suitable and reachable target — so that we won't go extinct if something bad should happen to Earth.

NASA is considering launching rockets to Mars next year, a major shift in priorities that could boost the fortunes of Elon Musk’s space company and speed up the timeline for astronauts to reach the red planet.

The White House hinted that Mars missions would be a priority of the Trump Administration last month after the president met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, indicating in a press release after the two met that the US and Italy would partner on a Mars mission as soon as next year.

Elon Musk said we must move to Mars because the Sun will swallow the Earth, ending life — which won't happen for another six billion years.

A 9-foot tall bust of Elon Musk, inspired by the meme “Elon I Drew You / You Are My Hero, Elon,” stands off of Boca Chica Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas, where the tech billionaire is looking to incorporate his first company town. | Photos by Brenda Bazán for POLITICO

SpaceX has transformed the area into a production site for the development of its Starship rocket, the vehicle Mr Musk wishes to use to colonise Mars.

President Donald Trump’s spending proposal is great news for Elon Musk—while slashing spending nearly everyone else.