Elon Musk says SpaceX has shifted its primary focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, a project he believes could be realised in under a decade.
Tech billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has disclosed that the company is now prioritising the development of a “self-growing city” on the Moon, citing faster timelines compared to Mars missions. Musk made the revelation in a statement shared on his X handle on Monday, explaining that lunar missions allow for quicker iteration and development due to shorter travel times and more frequent launch windows.
According to Musk, trips to the Moon can be launched roughly every 10 days with a two-day travel time, unlike Mars expeditions which depend on planetary alignment occurring every 26 months and require about six months of travel. “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,” he wrote. He noted that the rare alignment of Earth and Mars remains a major logistical challenge to sustained missions to the red planet.
Despite the shift in focus, Musk said SpaceX’s long-term ambition remains unchanged. “The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars,” he said, adding that the ability to launch frequently to the Moon would allow the company to “iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city.”
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