In a significant shift from his long-standing rhetoric on Mars colonization, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has announced that his aerospace company is now primarily focused on establishing a “self-growing city” on the moon, a feat he claims could be achieved in less than 10 years.
The tech billionaire made the disclosure in a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, citing logistical advantages and faster development cycles as the primary reasons for the strategic pivot.
According to Musk, the proximity of the moon allows for more frequent missions and rapid iteration compared to the arduous journey to the Red Planet. Musk explained that missions to the Moon can be launched roughly every 10 days with a travel time of just two days.
In stark contrast, missions to Mars are dictated by planetary alignment, opening a launch window only once every 26 months for a trip that takes approximately six months to complete.
“For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years,” Musk wrote.
He emphasized that the ability to iterate faster makes the Moon a more viable immediate target for securing the future of civilization. Despite this new direction, Musk clarified that SpaceX has not abandoned its ambitions for Mars.
He noted that the company will still strive to begin building a Mars city in about five to seven years, but reiterated that the Moon remains the faster and more pragmatic option for extending human consciousness to the stars.
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The announcement aligns with shifting United States space policy under the Trump administration, which recently issued an executive order prioritizing a return to the Moon by 2028 under NASA’s Artemis program.
This directive marked a departure from earlier goals that emphasized sending Americans to Mars within a shorter timeframe. SpaceX remains a major contractor for NASA’s Artemis program, tasked with developing the human landing system that will return astronauts to the lunar surface.
While NASA currently targets mid-2027 for the Artemis 3 mission, industry experts have expressed caution regarding timelines, citing the complexities of the unfinished lunar lander.
Musk’s bold timelines have often faced skepticism, with critics pointing to his history of overly optimistic predictions. In 2011, he projected that SpaceX astronauts could reach Mars within 10 to 20 years, a deadline that has since been repeatedly revised.
However, with this latest pivot, the billionaire appears to be aligning his company’s immediate resources with a more accessible celestial neighbor.
