Elon Musk is hitting pause on his long-promised push to Mars and redirecting SpaceX toward a nearer goal: building a self-growing city on the Moon. The shift marks a sharp change in tone for a man who once called the Moon a “distraction” and vowed to go “straight to Mars.”
Now, Musk says the Moon is the faster and more realistic path forward.
A Strategic Pivot Away From Mars
SpaceX told investors it is delaying its Mars ambitions and prioritizing a lunar mission instead. According to reports, the company is now targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed Moon landing using its Starship rocket.
Musk confirmed the shift publicly, saying SpaceX has already changed course.
“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 decision reflects both technical realities and outside pressure. Developing Starship has taken longer than expected, and NASA has urged SpaceX to focus on delivering concrete lunar results before chasing deeper space goals.
Why the Moon Comes First
Musk outlined several practical reasons for the change. Travel to Mars is only possible when Earth and Mars align, which happens about every 26 months. The Moon, by contrast, is always accessible.
“We can launch to the Moon every 10 days,” Musk said.
That frequency matters. Faster launches allow SpaceX to test, fail, fix, and iterate far more quickly than it could with Mars missions. Musk said that easier access means SpaceX can build a lunar city much faster than a Martian one.
“Easier access to the Moon means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city,” he said.
Starship and NASA’s Artemis Program
At the center of SpaceX’s lunar plans is Starship, a fully reusable rocket standing more than 400 feet tall. SpaceX is developing a version of Starship specifically for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972.
NASA awarded SpaceX a roughly $4 billion contract to build a Human Landing System capable of carrying astronauts from lunar orbit down to the Moon’s surface.
Americans are currently scheduled to return to the Moon on the Artemis III mission, potentially in 2027 or 2028, though the timeline has already been pushed back multiple times. Industry experts say further delays are possible because the lunar lander is still not ready.
Even so, SpaceX remains a core contractor, and Musk has signaled that lunar progress is now the company’s top operational priority.
Funding the Moon City
The Moon push comes as SpaceX reshapes its financial future. The company recently acquired Musk’s artificial intelligence firm xAI in a deal valuing SpaceX at about $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion.
In a memo announcing the deal, Musk laid out a sweeping vision that ties AI infrastructure directly to space colonization.
“The capabilities we unlock by making space-based data centers a reality will fund and enable self-growing bases on the Moon, an entire civilization on Mars and ultimately expansion to the Universe,” Musk wrote.
SpaceX is also reportedly considering an initial public offering later this year that could raise as much as $50 billion, potentially the largest IPO in history. Musk has said that NASA will account for less than 5 percent of SpaceX’s revenue this year, with most income coming from the commercial Starlink satellite network.
Competition at Home and Abroad
SpaceX is not alone in the renewed race to the Moon. Jeff Bezos’s company, Blue Origin, is pushing its own lunar landing system and has paused parts of its space tourism business to focus on Moon missions.
NASA officials have welcomed the competition. Agency leaders have said rivalry between SpaceX and Blue Origin could accelerate progress and reduce risk.
Beyond U.S. rivals, the Moon has become a geopolitical prize. The United States faces growing competition from China, which is aggressively pursuing its own lunar ambitions. American officials see returning humans to the Moon as critical to maintaining leadership in space.
Humans have not set foot on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Mars Is Delayed, Not Abandoned
Despite the pivot, Musk insists Mars is still part of the plan. He said SpaceX will begin working toward a Martian city within five to seven years, even as the Moon takes priority.
“We will also strive to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about 5 to 7 years,” Musk said.
The shift represents a more incremental approach from a man often known for sweeping timelines that slip. Past predictions about reaching Mars by 2024 or 2026 have come and gone.
This time, Musk appears to be betting that success closer to home will make his most ambitious dreams possible later.
For now, Mars can wait. The Moon is back at the center of humanity’s next giant leap.
