Elon Musk announced that the first city on the Moon could emerge within the next 10 years. He stated that SpaceX considers this goal a priority as it seems more realistic timeline-wise than the colonization of Mars. The entrepreneur wrote about this on the social network X, emphasizing that the lunar project could develop significantly faster.
SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a self-sustaining city on the Moon because we can potentially reach this goal in less than 10 years, while Mars would take more than 20 years.
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Musk explained the shift in focus for purely practical reasons. Flights to Mars are possible only once every 26 months, and the journey takes about 6 months. Meanwhile, missions to the Moon can launch every 10 days with only a 2-day travel time. Nevertheless, SpaceX is not giving up on its Martian plans: the company intends to begin building a city on Mars in about 5-7 years.
Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported that SpaceX plans to perform the first unmanned Starship landing on the Moon by March 2027. According to the publication, the company decided to concentrate on the lunar program in collaboration with NASA, temporarily shelving ambitions to send missions to Mars.
NASA has confirmed its involvement in SpaceX’s lunar endeavor, providing crucial technical support and guidance. Experts believe that this partnership could prove pivotal in overcoming the imminent challenges associated with lunar construction. However, they caution that the timeline remains aggressive, requiring flawless execution and technological breakthroughs.
