Love Elon Musk. Love tracking the progress at Tesla and SpaceX. So inspiring and fun to follow!

Well that's going to greatly improve the way can transmit new pandemic infections, can be done in 30 minutes rather than hours. Did I miss the bit were we had solved global warming - must pay more attention!

"Did I miss the bit were we had solved global warming - must pay more attention!" Yes,Starship is fueled with liquid oxygen and methane.

@Brian: I think this is his solution to global warming - he's going to shuttle the rich to a space colony.

This reminds me of the late, unlamented Fedex Spacetran: when it absolutely, positively has to be there in 90 minutes. Even assuming the safety/reliability and discomfort issues are solvable, launches currently still cost $50M a pop. Is there really a sustainable market for people who want to pay $100K or more to get somewhere a little bit faster instead of just using Skype or Zoom?

Because of lower fuel, time costs this could cost less than a 14 hr plane flight to do. And with bio or syn methane far lower GHG effects. And get far more for it as a poor man's way to go to space.

Elon is counting on there being enough billionaires to buy his tickets that the Earth won't stand a chance of avoiding population crashes.

30 minute flight-time. 14 days quarantine. Perhaps Elon hasn't noticed there's a pandemic, or doesn't understand that evolution guarantees this is never going to end.

Good for Musk to push the boundaries. Reading some of the comments, I am disappointed that one little pandemic has crushed so many peoples' spirits. Pandemics come and go as this one will. They are part of human history since day one. Every step and/or leap in transportation technology begins with levels only for the rich but that allows further refinement to bring it a level of access for everyone. Ships(the ocean going kind), planes, trains and automobiles all have followed this pattern. When the human race stops, out of fear, to push the boundaries of life then it is doomed. "Global Warming/Climate Change" will be dealt with not by cowering in our caves but by embracing the new and daring mighty things. To quote a famous visionary: "For the human race to survive, then but for a brief period of its history the term "ship" must refer to space ships". AD ASTRA

The planet is burning, and Elon wants to stroke the fires with technology that hasten the burn.