Musk Eyes “Self-Growing” Lunar City Ahead of Mars Plans
In recent years, SpaceX has concentrated on developing spacecraft capable of traveling to the Red Planet, with Musk previously suggesting that the first uncrewed Starship mission to Mars could take off as early as late 2026.
However, in a Sunday post on his social media platform X, Musk stated that the company has “already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon,” asserting that such a project could be completed in under ten years, whereas establishing a comparable settlement on Mars would take more than twenty years.
“The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars,” Musk wrote.
He explained that Mars missions are constrained by planetary alignment, which occurs roughly every 26 months and involves a six-month journey. In contrast, Moon launches can happen about every ten days with travel times of approximately two days, allowing for quicker development and iteration of a lunar settlement.
According to reports, SpaceX is prioritizing lunar operations and is aiming for an uncrewed Starship landing on the Moon around 2027. The spacecraft is also being designed for NASA’s Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade.
Musk emphasized that Mars ambitions have not been abandoned, stating that the company “will also strive to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about five to seven years,” and described the Moon as a faster path for “securing the future of civilization.”
The entrepreneur has repeatedly highlighted Mars colonization as part of a broader effort to safeguard humanity against global catastrophes, previously suggesting that the planet could eventually become “part of America.”
His announcement coincides with renewed global interest in establishing a lasting presence on the Moon. According to reports, China and Russia are collaborating on an International Lunar Research Station, with Moscow planning a nuclear-powered facility by roughly 2036 to support the base.
Astronauts have not set foot on the Moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
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