The SpaceX CEO has said a lunar settlement could be built within a decade, as the global powers race for Earth’s only natural satellite
US tech billionaire Elon Musk has announced plans to build a “self-growing city” on the Moon, placing the project ahead of his long-stated ambitions to reach Mars.
In recent years, SpaceX has focused on developing spacecraft capable of reaching the Red Planet, with Musk previously saying that the first uncrewed Starship mission to Mars could launch as early as late 2026.
However, in a post on his social media platform X on Sunday, Musk said the company has “already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon,” arguing that the project could be achieved in fewer than ten years, while a comparable settlement on Mars would take more than two decades.
“The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars,” Musk wrote.
According to him, missions to Mars are only possible when the planets align, roughly every 26 months, and require a six-month journey, whereas launches to the Moon can take place about every ten days with a travel time of roughly two days. This, he said, would allow for the faster iteration and development of a lunar settlement.
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