I don’t know how many times I’ve come to you guys with news that Elon Musk is changing the world and revolutionizing travel, and yet, here I am again with another new development. Okay, to be fair, this isn’t really a new development, but more like a refreshed idea based on other ideas that have already been partially set in motion. Call it an expansion of Elon’s mind and the answer the question we were left with earlier in the week when Musk mentioned he had recognized some “unrealized applications” of SpaceX technology. Well, today the man finally got to speak his mind at the IAC2017 (International Astronautical Congress), and his main talk involved the redefining of his first manned mission to Mars. We’ll talk more about that later, as there are some pretty cool things to discuss, but what’s more important is that Musk is – for once – thinking with a more down to earth approach.

So down to earth, in fact, that he’s talking about traveling anywhere in the world – that’s right; from any location to any location – in less than an hour. We’re talking about Hong Kong to Singapore in 22 minutes or Los Angeles to London in just 32 minutes. Hell, a trip from L.A. to N.Y. would take just 25 minutes. That’s right; we’re talking about crossing the country in less than a half hour and crossing the world in less than an hour – now that’s what I like to call fast. Apparently, this will be possible with Elon Musk’s theoretical rocket, dubbed BFR or “Big Fucking Rocket” (no, we’re not kidding about the name,) which will lift a SpaceX spaceship into orbit around the earth. The ship with then target its destination and begin its descent back to the planet, ultimately settling on floating pads near most major cities. Neither the rocket or spaceship exist at this time, but Musk claims construction could hopefully start within the next six to nine months. Want to learn more about it? Keep reading!

So... from L.A. into Orbit, to Shaghai in 36 Minutes.... sound's legit

In theory, passengers would load into a luxurious boat – most likely a Tesla boat because why not? – and will be taken to the floating launch pad. They will board the rocket, which happens to be the same one that will carry humans to Mars in 2024, and launch toward the heavens. This also involves hitting a maximum speed of 27,000 kph or 16,777 mph. Once in orbit, the rocket will break off (instead of heading to our red neighbor) and land itself at a predetermined location. Once the ship lands, passengers will disembark, make their way to another luxurious boat, and arrive safe and sound less than an hour later in their destination city. Now, the only thing left to sort out is how the U.S. government and other world governments will ruin the experience with security and how we’ll handle the sheer chaos involved with international travel. You know they’ll still require passports and luggage checks – there goes that half travel time, huh?

Anyway, with this in mind, it could be a really nice idea, but one really has to wonder how good it will be for the environment, whether or not it’s affordable enough to be feasible, and if your average joe could actually make the trip. After all, anyone going into space and dealing with the sheer force of traveling fast enough to leave this big ball of rock has to go through a pretty extensive medical evaluation. But, what do you think? Let us know in the comments section below. And, if you’re curious about the projected times between most major cities, check out the chart below – we’ve compiled a fairly huge list just for you.

Travel Path

Time

Hong Kong – Singapore

22 MIN

L.A. – Toronto

24 MIN

L.A. – NYC

25 MIN

Bangkok – Dubai

27 MIN

Tokyo – Singapore

28 MIN

London – Dubai

29 MIN

London – NYC

29 MIN

NYC – Paris

30 MIN

Honolulu – Tokyo

30 MIN

Tokyo – Delhi

30 MIN

Melbourne – Singapore

30 MIN

Sydney - Singapore

31 MIN

L.A. – London

32 MIN

London – Cape town

34 MIN

London – Hong Kong

34 MIN

Sydney – Tokyo

35 MIN

L.A. – Buenos Aires

35 MIN

L.A. – Shanghai

36 MIN

Sydney - Delhi

36 MIN

NYC – Tokyo

37 MIN

Sydney – Johannesburg

37 MIN

Delhi – San Francisco

40 MIN

L.A. – Adelaide

42 MIN

Sydney – Dubai

40 MIN

Sydney – Athens

47 MIN

L.A. – Johannesburg

50 MIN

Sydney – Zurich

50 MIN


References

Read more SpaceX news.

Read more Elon Musk news.