For years, SpaceX has had the goal of taking humans to Mars, but those plans appear to have been shelved — at least for now.
In a significant strategic pivot, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX has redirected its primary focus toward establishing a self-sustaining city on the Moon rather than Mars. The shift represents a major change in priorities for the aerospace company, which has long positioned Mars colonization as its ultimate mission.
“For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years,” Musk wrote on X. “The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars,” he added.
“It is only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months (six month trip time), whereas we can launch to the Moon every 10 days (2 day trip time). This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city. That said, SpaceX will also strive to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about 5 to 7 years, but the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster,” Musk said.
According to Musk, the decision comes down to practicality and timeline. SpaceX believes it can achieve a functioning lunar city in less than a decade, while a comparable Mars settlement would require over 20 years to establish. The fundamental constraint is orbital mechanics: launch windows to Mars only open every 26 months when the planets align favorably, with each journey taking approximately six months. By contrast, missions to the Moon can launch every 10 days with a travel time of just two days, allowing for significantly faster iteration and development.
Just a year ago, Musk had been dismissive of a moon mission. “No, we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction. Mass to orbit is the key metric, thereafter mass to Mars surface. The former needs to be in the megaton to orbit per year range to build a self-sustaining colony on Mars,” he’d said on 3rd January 2025 on X. However, he’d said before that it could be interesting to have a permanently crewed science station on the moon. “Starship can enable a permanently crewed science station on the Moon, which would be super cool! Moonbase Alpha!!” he’d posted in October 2024.
It appears that SpaceX doesn’t believe that a Mars mission is an immediate possibility, and is shifting its focus to the moon. A moon mission — and a colony — could also be a significant achievement. Man hasn’t stepped foot on the moon since 1972, and a moon base could energize the space race. But Musk’s statement also means that the Mars dream — which he’d once said would be true by 2022, and then by 2030 — isn’t happening anytime soon.