Elon Musk says Mars can wait — SpaceX shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon
Tesla billionaire has redirected SpaceX resources to build a self-growing lunar base in half the time it would take to reach the more distant Red Planet.
Elon Musk and SpaceX have redirected their immediate resources toward the Moon, specifically to develop a “self-growing” lunar base. While the Red Planet (Mars) was the primary target for years, the technical and logistical hurdles of space have forced this surprising change.
What happened
For a long time, SpaceX followed a strategy that prioritized Mars. Only a year ago, he shared on X: “No, we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction. Mass to orbit is the key metric, thereafter mass to the Mars surface. The former needs to be in the megaton to orbit per year range to build a self-sustaining colony on Mars.”
The plan was to use Starship to move millions of tons of cargo directly to Mars. However, the logistical realities of that mission are challenging. Launching to Mars is only possible when the planets are in a specific position. If a mission fails, help is too far away.
Musk recently updated this stance on X, announcing that SpaceX has officially shifted toward building a lunar city because it can “potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.” This is a practical decision based on the frequency of launches. Musk explained that travel to Mars is limited to a 26-month window, with a six-month flight time. “We can launch to the Moon every 10 days (2-day trip time)”, he added.
Musk added that this allows the company to “iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city.” While he stated that SpaceX will still work toward a Mars city in about five to seven years, he made it clear that “the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization, and the Moon is faster.”
According to the SpaceX mission profile, the ultimate goal is to make life multi-planetary. Elon earlier explained that a self-sufficient city on Mars will eventually require over one million people and millions of tons of cargo.
Starship is designed to enable this by carrying over 100 tons to the surface of other worlds. While Mars remains the long-term destination because of its atmosphere and resources, the Moon is currently the primary focus for building the first permanent, self-sustaining off-world base.
While Elon Musk’s empire is not crushing anymore with Tesla stumbling, this news came in as a pivot toward a more achievable goal. With Tesla ending production of the Model S and X to focus on robots, Musk is moving SpaceX resources to build a self-growing lunar base first.
Reactions
The announcement has triggered a lot of debate online from people with different perspectives on space travel. One person asked a question many were wondering: “Why not just focus on keeping Earth habitable?” Many people shared that the priority should be the environment we already have. If we have the billions required for a lunar city, those resources could be used to fix terrestrial problems.
Another commenter shared how challenging it is to survive in space and build an expensive city in a place that is naturally hostile to humans. They mentioned, “Keeping Earth livable costs far less than building a city where humans cannot survive naturally. One is maintenance. The other is permanent life support.” Some people do not believe the project is worth it at all. One person wrote: “Both the moon and Mars are a complete waste of time and money, because both environments are unlivable.”
At the same time, others see the Moon as a way to grow the economy. One person argued: “If the solar system was empty, with only Mars as a goal, then your position would make sense. The larger issue is the economic development of the solar system for the benefit of humanity. The Moon, Mars, asteroids, and free space are all essential elements to sustainability.” Many believe that the Moon could serve as a starting point for mining and manufacturing. Using materials found on the Moon to make things would mean we wouldn’t need to bring everything from Earth, making the process more efficient.
Why this matters
The decision to build a lunar city reflects a shift in how some people think about survival. We are looking to create a livable place in a rocky, airless environment.
However, there seems to be a contradiction in what many think about these projects. While we can design robots to perform tasks such as constructing buildings in a place with no atmosphere, we struggle to provide affordable housing for people on our own planet. The breakthroughs needed for a lunar city, such as automated construction and advanced water systems, are the same tools that can be used to fix infrastructure on Earth.
Finally, the timing matters. This pivot comes as Musk’s broader empire is under scrutiny, with Tesla facing slowing momentum and a visible shift toward robotics and AI. Whether critics see the lunar city as visionary or wasteful, the underlying question it raises is unavoidable: if humanity can coordinate resources, talent, and technology to sustain life in an airless vacuum, what exactly is stopping us from applying the same urgency and discipline to fixing life on Earth?
