Musk says SpaceX shifting focus to moon before Mars push

Elon Musk said Sunday that SpaceX is shifting its near-term priorities away from Mars and toward building what he described as a “self-growing city” on the moon, citing faster timelines and strategic urgency.

“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 in a post on X.

“The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars,” he added.

Musk said the moon offers a more practical testing ground because of its proximity to Earth.

SPACEX ACQUIRES XAI IN RECORD-SETTING DEAL VALUED AT OVER $1T

A crane, marked by the SpaceX logo, sits near the Starbase launch site in Cameron County, Texas, on February 6, 2026. (Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“It is only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months (six month trip time), whereas we can launch to the Moon every 10 days (2 day trip time). This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city,” Musk wrote.

He said SpaceX still plans to pursue its long-held goal of settling Mars but on a longer timeline.

MUSK CONFIRMS SPACEX SUCCESS IN PREVENTING RUSSIAN MILITARY FROM ACCESSING STOLEN STARLINK UNITS

“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 wrote.

The comments echo a recent Wall Street Journal report that said SpaceX has told investors it would prioritize lunar missions before attempting a Mars landing, targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed moon mission.

SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its Super Heavy booster is launched on its ninth test at the company’s launch pad in Starbase, Texas, May 27, 2025. (REUTERS/Joe Skipper)

The shift marks a notable change from Musk’s long-standing public emphasis on Mars as SpaceX’s primary destination. As recently as last year, Musk said the company aimed to launch an uncrewed Mars mission by the end of 2026.

“No, we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction,” Musk wrote in January last year in response to a post on X.

Musk has a long record of setting ambitious timelines for major projects – including electric vehicles and self-driving technology – that have often slipped beyond their original schedules.

The renewed focus on the moon comes as the United States faces growing competition from China to return humans to the lunar surface this decade. Humans have not visited the moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Musk has a long record of setting ambitious timelines for major projects. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The remarks also…