SpaceX founder Elon Musk stated that the company plans to send the first humans to Mars within the next five years, and "thousands" of people within ten to twelve years. The billionaire announced this in an interview with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who was temporarily hosting Sean Hannity’s radio show, Forbes reports.

According to Musk, a flight to Mars presents significantly greater challenges than lunar missions due to the duration of the journey to the planet. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that the company would succeed in meeting these ambitious timelines.

Musk also outlined SpaceX’s more immediate plans regarding the Moon: according to him, the company expects to land an astronaut on the lunar surface within two to three years, after which it intends to "rapidly expand" the human presence on Earth’s satellite—ultimately establishing a permanent base where tens of thousands of people could live or stay.