Delhi to New York in 30 minutes? Elon Musk says it’s possible – Times of India

Is the world ready for a revolution in air travel? Elon Musk’s SpaceX believes so. As an aftermath of Donald Trump’s win in the US Presidential Election- Elon Musk is all set to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Vivek Ramaswamy. And as a part of his initial plans, Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX’s ‘Earth to Earth’ project will soon be brought to actuality. Earth-to-Earth project envisions using SpaceX’s Starship to revolutionize long-distance travel by flying passengers between cities at unprecedented speeds.
The idea gained traction after Elon Musk commented on a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) on November 6, hinting that SpaceX could receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for Earth-to-Earth Starship flights during the next U.S. presidential term. The video said: “Most long-distance trips are less than 30 minutes. Anywhere on Earth in under an hour.” Musk confirmed, “This is now possible.” First suggested by SpaceX nearly ten years ago, up to 1,000 passengers would board Starship – the most powerful rocket on Earth – and travel into space. Instead of venturing into deep space, the spacecraft would travel along Earth’s surface, cutting hours-long journeys down to mere minutes. Starship’s capability to carry both crew and cargo to destinations like Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars is repurposed here for intercontinental travel.

As per Daily Mail, the travel time will be cut dramatically. Projected travel times are estimated such as: Los Angeles to Toronto in 24 minutes, London to New York in 29 minutes, Delhi to San Francisco in 30 minutes, and New York to Shanghai in 39 minutes. However, the price of such travel will be in the thousands and won’t be affordable to all. Furthermore, the Starship’s speed will exert great G-forces, which means that travellers might feel weightlessness.

As per the official website, SpaceX’s Starship, a combination of the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket, is a fully reusable transport system designed for missions to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. As the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, it can carry up to 150 metric tonnes in its reusable configuration or 250 metric tonnes when expendable.