SpaceX shifts focus to Lunar self-growing city putting Mars on the back burner

In a major pivot for the world’s leading private space company, Elon Musk announced Tuesday that SpaceX is prioritizing the development of a permanent lunar settlement over its long-stated goal of reaching Mars.

The billionaire entrepreneur cited the Moon's proximity as the primary driver for a faster iteration of human life beyond Earth.

Writing on X, Musk revealed plans to build a "self-growing city" on the lunar surface within the next decade.

He argued that while Mars remains a long-term aspiration, the physics of launch windows every 10 days for the Moon versus every 26 months for Mars makes the lunar surface a more practical training ground for securing the future of civilization.

This strategic shift follows the successful 10th launch of the Starship rocket.

Analysts suggest the move aligns with increasing international interest in the lunar economy and NASA’s ongoing Artemis missions, providing SpaceX with a more immediate and commercially viable path to deep-space habitation.