SpaceX Focuses on ‘Self-Growing City’ on the Moon
Elon Musk stated on Sunday that SpaceX has redirected its efforts towards constructing a “self-growing city” on the moon, which he claimed could be realized in under 10 years. “That said, SpaceX will also strive to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about 5 to 7 years, but the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster,” Musk added in an X post.
Musk’s remarks align with a report on Friday, which indicated that SpaceX has informed investors of its intention to prioritize a lunar mission before pursuing a journey to Mars, aiming for an uncrewed lunar landing in March 2027. He stated last year that his goal was to launch an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026.
The United States is encountering significant competition from China this decade in its pursuit of sending astronauts back to the moon, a destination that has not seen human presence since the last US Apollo mission in 1972. Musk’s remarks follow SpaceX’s agreement to acquire xAI in a transaction that values the rocket and satellite company at $1 trillion, while the artificial intelligence firm is valued at $250 billion.
