Elon Musk shares SpaceX’s plan to land on moon

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has revealed a new strategic aspiration: establishing a permanent presence on the Moon. Marking a shift in his long-term vision, the world’s richest man aims to return humanity to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions.

Musk disclosed that the first step of his “moon-first” strategy involves building a “self-growing city on the Moon.” He expressed hope that SpaceX could reach this milestone within the next ten years. The 54-year-old CEO confirmed that his aerospace company is now heavily concentrating on lunar missions as a more immediate goal.

Regarding this strategic shift, a SpaceX update shared:

“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.”

Despite this new focus, Elon Musk is still pursuing his long-held goal of landing on Mars. He noted that while he still intends to establish a city on the Red Planet within the next five to seven years, the current priority is different. “The overriding priority is securing the future of civilization, and the Moon is faster,” he wrote.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the corporation intends to land its first uncrewed mission on the Moon in March 2027.