--- description: Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has already asserted that humans need to colonize a new planet soon — and we have 100 years to start title: Stephen Hawking: We Have 100 Years to Colonize a New Planet image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64fd6bc046a8a810/6988cc0ccf40a8342ac478c9/stephen-hawking-planet-100-years-colonize-bbc.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Stephen Hawking Says Humans Have 100 Years to Move to Another Planet  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 4, 2017 7:36 PM CUT  Stephen Hawking at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City. Stephen Hawking at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City.Bryan Bedder—Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize Foundation  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 4, 2017 7:36 PM CUT Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has [already asserted that humans need to colonize a new planet](http://time.com/4575054/stephen-hawking-humans-new-planet/ "undefined") soon — and now he’s arguing that we need to start within [100 years to keep the species alive](http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/tomorrows-world/television "undefined"). Hawking will lay out his reasoning for why and how people must start inhabiting another planet in a BBC program airing this summer called [_Stephen Hawking: Expedition New Earth_](http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/tomorrows-world "undefined")_._ He has theorized in the past that the chance of a disaster on Earth adds up over time, so that it’s [a “near certainty” in the next 1,000 or 10,000 years](http://time.com/4185253/stephen-hawking-disaster-earth/ "undefined"), but the human race will survive if it expands into outer space. “With climate change, overdue asteroid strikes, epidemics and population growth, our own planet is increasingly precarious,” BBC said in a statement about the show. “Prof. Hawking’s ambition isn’t as fantastical as it sounds.” Those interested in just how humans can begin populating another planet ([such as Mars](http://time.com/4510653/elon-musk-unveils-plan-to-colonize-mars/ "undefined")) can watch the Hawking program to learn about the new research in rocket technology and biology that may make the trip possible in the next century. [**_Read More:_** **See Buzz Aldrin’s Plan to Colonize Mars in Virtual Reality**](http://time.com/4702519/buzz-aldrin-virtual-reality/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4767595/stephen-hawking-100-years-new-planet/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4767595/stephen-hawking-100-years-new-planet/"},"headline":"Stephen Hawking Says Humans Have 100 Years to Move to Another Planet","datePublished":"2017-05-04T19:36:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:45:49.588Z","description":"Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has already asserted that humans need to colonize a new planet soon — and we have 100 years to start","url":"https://time.com/4767595/stephen-hawking-100-years-new-planet/","keywords":["Television","Space","Stephen Hawking","Outer Space","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64fd6bc046a8a810/6988cc0ccf40a8342ac478c9/stephen-hawking-planet-100-years-colonize-bbc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt64fd6bc046a8a810/6988cc0ccf40a8342ac478c9/stephen-hawking-planet-100-years-colonize-bbc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"stephen hawking planet 100 years colonize bbc","caption":"stephen hawking planet 100 years colonize bbc","creditText":"Bryan Bedder—Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize Foundation","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4767595/stephen-hawking-100-years-new-planet/","name":"Stephen Hawking Says Humans Have 100 Years to Move to Another Planet"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Stephen Hawking Says He Fears He Would Not Be Welcome in the United States","description":"British physicist fears he may not be welcome in the United States. 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