Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX has shifted its strategic focus toward building what he called a “self-growing city” on the Moon, a project he said could be achieved in less than a decade as the company reorients its long-term ambitions for human space settlement.
Musk said SpaceX still intends to pursue his long-held vision of establishing a city on Mars within five to seven years, but that the Moon has now become the company’s top priority.
“SpaceX is still planning a city on Mars in 5 to 7 years,” Musk wrote on his X social media platform. “But the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster.”
His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report on Friday that said SpaceX has told investors it would focus first on the Moon and delay Mars missions, with a target of March 2027 for an uncrewed lunar landing.
As recently as last year, Musk had said he hoped to send an uncrewed spacecraft to Mars by the end of 2026.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the timeline or scope of the lunar project.
The shift comes as the United States faces growing competition from China in the race to return humans to the Moon. Beijing has said it plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface before 2030 and establish a research base there with international partners.
Humans have not set foot on the Moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.
SpaceX is already a central contractor in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon later this decade. In 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a roughly $4 billion contract to develop a version of its Starship rocket capable of landing astronauts on the lunar surface.
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On Monday, Musk said in a reply to a user on X that NASA would account for less than 5% of SpaceX’s revenue this year.
“Vast majority of SpaceX revenue is the commercial Starlink system,” he wrote.
Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet business, has become the company’s main source of cash, providing broadband service to customers in more than 70 countries and to governments, airlines and militaries.
SpaceX has not disclosed detailed financials, but Musk has said previously that Starlink is cash-flow positive and growing rapidly.
SpaceX is also considering a public offering later this year that could raise as much as $50 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Such a deal could make it the largest initial public offering in history.
Less than a week ago, Musk said SpaceX had acquired the artificial intelligence company xAI, which he also leads, in a transaction valuing SpaceX at about $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion.
Musk said the deal would allow tighter integration between SpaceX’s satellite infrastructure and AI-driven data services.
Supporters of the move say it could strengthen SpaceX’s plans to develop space-based data centers, which Musk has argued could be more energy efficient than terrestrial facilities as global demand for computing power surges due to artificial intelligence development.
Musk has repeatedly said he views multi-planetary settlement as essential to the long-term survival of humanity, citing risks ranging from climate change to nuclear war and asteroid impacts.
In recent years, however, the Moon has gained renewed attention from governments and private companies as a more immediate target for human expansion, scientific research and resource development.
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The Moon’s proximity to Earth makes it a natural testing ground for technologies needed for longer missions deeper into the solar system. Travel time is measured in days rather than months, and communication delays are minimal compared with Mars.
Under NASA’s Artemis program, the United States plans to build a small space station called the Gateway in lunar orbit and eventually establish a sustained human presence near the Moon’s south pole, where permanently shadowed craters are believed to contain water ice.
China and Russia have announced separate plans for an International Lunar Research Station, also targeting the lunar south pole.
Musk has previously said Starship, SpaceX’s fully reusable heavy-lift rocket, is key to both Moon and Mars ambitions. The vehicle is designed to carry large crews and cargo and to refuel in orbit.
Starship has undergone multiple test flights from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas, some of which have ended in explosions or loss of control, but Musk has said rapid iteration is part of the development process.
SpaceX is also continuing to expand Starlink’s satellite constellation, which now includes more than 5,000 operational satellites in low Earth orbit.
Earlier on Sunday, Musk shared SpaceX’s first Super Bowl advertisement, which promoted Starlink’s Wi-Fi service to a mass audience.
Even as Musk reorients SpaceX’s long-term plans, he is also pushing his publicly traded electric-vehicle company Tesla in a new direction.
After helping build the global electric-car market, Tesla is now investing heavily in autonomous driving and robotics.
Musk has said Tesla plans to spend about $20 billion this year as part of a push into self-driving software, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots.
Last month, he said Tesla would end production of two car models at its California factory to make room for manufacturing Optimus, the company’s humanoid robot.
Musk has argued that robots could eventually become a major part of the global economy and play a role in both Earth-based industry and future space exploration.
For SpaceX, the shift toward a lunar city marks a recalibration of Musk’s long-standing narrative about Mars as humanity’s next home.
“Securing the future of civilization,” Musk wrote, “is faster on the Moon.”
While Mars remains a long-term goal, Musk’s latest comments suggest the Moon will serve as the first proving ground for permanent off-world settlement.