Elon Musk's long-standing vision of colonizing Mars appears to have taken a new direction, with his attention now turning toward a more immediate and practical objective—establishing human presence on the moon.

In a post on X this past Sunday, Musk announced that SpaceX is now directing its efforts toward developing what he described as “a self-growing city on the Moon.” He added that constructing such a lunar settlement could take under ten years, in contrast to the two decades or more that might be needed for a similar setup on Mars.

“The priority is to ensure a secure future for humanity, and the Moon offers a quicker route,” Musk explained. “Unlike Mars, which can only be reached during the brief 26-month planetary alignment and takes about six months to travel to, we can launch to the Moon every 10 days, and the journey takes just a couple of days.”

Exactly what Musk means by “self-growing city” remains unclear, and it's uncertain whether this aligns with NASA’s own goals for lunar development. Requests for clarification from SpaceX have gone unanswered.

Though this marks a shift in near-term focus, Musk confirmed that he still plans to build a city on Mars, targeting construction within five to seven years. As recently as May, he indicated that SpaceX was aiming to land an uncrewed Starship on Mars as early as 2026.

This updated timeline follows SpaceX’s recent acquisition of XAI, unifying two of Musk’s major ventures into what is now the world’s most valuable private firm.

Redirecting SpaceX’s ambitions toward the moon—which presents fewer technological and financial barriers—could serve as a stepping stone to winning broader support from investors for Musk’s long-term plans on Mars.

“Reaching Mars is Elon Musk’s ultimate ambition. It requires immense resources, and with SpaceX on track to go public, satisfying shareholders is critical,” said Justus Parmar, CEO of Fortuna Investments, a SpaceX backer.

“Developing infrastructure on the Moon could provide faster revenue returns, making it a logical precursor to the more complex, expensive mission to reach Mars,” Parmar added.

Course Correction

For over ten years, Musk has consistently emphasized his goal of creating a sustainable settlement on Mars, calling it the central mission of SpaceX since its formation in 2002.

In various public appearances and company events, he has outlined bold—though often questioned—strategies to establish a permanent human community on Mars, arguing it’s essential to ensure humanity's survival in case of global catastrophe.

By contrast, NASA has maintained its focus on lunar missions. That emphasis intensified during President Donald Trump's first term, when Vice President Mike Pence declared the United States would return astronauts to the Moon by 2024.

Though that target wasn’t met, NASA now aims for a 2028 return to the Moon—an objective that originated during the Obama administration. No human has walked on the lunar surface since 1972, the end of the Apollo era.

Musk has previously criticized these lunar efforts, once labeling NASA’s Artemis project a “distraction” in a post on X.

“We’re going directly to Mars,” he wrote in the past. “The Moon is a distraction.”

His current lunar focus arises as Musk, who benefits from significant government contracts across multiple ventures, becomes more visibly engaged in the political arena. After initially supporting former president Donald Trump and briefly serving in a White House role before a fallout, Musk reconciled with Trump’s camp later last year.

Lunar Debate

Although NASA has developed the launch systems and spacecraft to send astronauts into lunar orbit, it has contracted SpaceX—at nearly $3 billion—to build the lander that will actually carry astronauts to the Moon’s surface.

SpaceX plans to adapt its massive Starship system for this mission. Starship is the largest rocket and spacecraft ever constructed and is key to Musk’s vision of Mars colonization.

However, Starship remains in early testing stages, frequently encountering issues during trial launches. It has yet to complete an orbital mission or be used in a functional operation. SpaceX is preparing to unveil new prototypes as soon as March.

The project's ambitious scope has stirred debate, particularly regarding its role in NASA’s Artemis initiative.

Sean Duffy, who briefly acted as NASA administrator last year under the Trump administration, publicly questioned whether SpaceX could deliver the lunar lander in time for NASA’s crewed moon landing, currently part of the Artemis III mission. He suggested Blue Origin, SpaceX’s key competitor, could be a faster alternative.

Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, also holds a significant NASA contract to design a lunar landing system. Recently, the company paused suborbital tourist flights—in which figures like Bezos, Katy Perry, and William Shatner participated—to dedicate resources to its lunar program.

Since tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman assumed the role of NASA administrator in December, there have been no public updates on the status of SpaceX’s Artemis III lander contract. Isaacman is known for his ties to Musk and has previously funded two missions aboard SpaceX spacecraft.

As Musk announces SpaceX's newfound lunar focus, NASA is preparing for its next big step: the Artemis II mission. This venture will send four astronauts on a flyby of the Moon, laying the groundwork for the subsequent Artemis III moon landing.

Scheduled to launch as early as March, Artemis II will not land on the Moon but marks NASA’s first crewed deep space mission in over 50 years.