SpaceX is now prioritizing development of a self-sustaining lunar settlement, aiming to complete the project in under ten years. The updated strategy reflects both technical considerations and aligns with President Donald Trump’s new national space objectives, marking a significant adjustment from SpaceX’s earlier focus on Mars colonization.
Elon Musk disclosed that while plans for constructing a city on Mars remain active—with an expected timeline of five to seven years before work commences—the immediate emphasis has shifted to the Moon.
Musk indicated that building infrastructure on the lunar surface could be realized more quickly due to the shorter and more frequent launch windows to the Moon, compared to the limited opportunities for Mars missions, which occur only every 26 months.
This change in strategy comes amid persistent skepticism about the feasibility of founding a human settlement on Mars, with critics citing the formidable technical challenges involved.
SpaceX, which has established itself as a key partner for NASA missions, is also facing mounting international competition. The United States seeks to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, while China is rapidly advancing its own crewed lunar program.
Recent U.S. policy shifts have reinforced this lunar focus. In an executive order released at the end of last year, President Trump directed NASA to accelerate its Artemis program, targeting a crewed Moon landing by 2028. SpaceX is a contractor for Artemis, and the timeline currently anticipates a return in mid-2027, although this date has been delayed on multiple occasions.
Additionally, SpaceX recently acquired the artificial intelligence firm xAI, which Musk also leads. The acquisition valued SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion. Supporters of this move believe integrating AI capabilities could enhance SpaceX’s ambitions for constructing data centers in space, which Musk argues could offer efficiency benefits as demand for computational resources grows alongside AI development.
