Neil deGrasse Tyson criticized Elon Musk's plans for colonizing Mars.

“I don’t think it will happen until governments decide it’s in our geopolitical interests. Someone has to pay to send people, and just being interested in something isn’t the same as paying for it,” stated Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The astrophysicist is convinced that a mission to Mars would lead to the loss of human lives, would cost “one trillion dollars,” and would not yield any returns for venture capitalists.

Elon Musk responded to Neil deGrasse Tyson's remarks on his social media page.

“Wow, they really don’t understand. Mars is critical for long-term survival,” wrote the owner of SpaceX.

Additionally, Musk pointed out that he does not intend to ask venture capitalists for money, as he recognizes that this venture does not make sense as an investment and explains why he is independently gathering resources for it.

This is far from the first time Tyson has criticized Musk, sometimes thoughtlessly. Earlier this year, the astrophysicist found himself in hot water after claiming that SpaceX “has done nothing for NASA.” A few weeks later, the astrophysicist was forced to retract his overly generalized and inaccurate statement.