LOS ANGELES: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced on Sunday that the company is shifting its primary focus to building a “self-growing city” on the Moon, potentially achievable within the next decade.
While Mars colonization remains a long-term goal, Musk emphasized on X that “the overriding priority is securing the future of civilisation and the Moon is faster.” He indicated that Mars missions would still begin within five to seven years, but lunar development now takes precedence.
Read More: SpaceX targets late 2026 for first uncrewed Starship landing on Mars
The comments follow a Wall Street Journal report stating SpaceX plans to prioritize a lunar landing, targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed mission. Humans have not set foot on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, and Musk’s timeline places SpaceX in direct competition with China, which is also racing to return humans to the lunar surface this decade.
Starlink Super Bowl ad!
Affordable Internet anywhere. https://t.co/Q1VvqV5G0i
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026
In parallel developments, SpaceX recently acquired Musk-led AI company xAI, valuing the space and satellite firm at $1 trillion and the AI outfit at $250 billion. Analysts suggest the move could support SpaceX’s plans for space-based data centers, which Musk believes would be more energy-efficient than Earth-based facilities amid rising AI compute demands.
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.
The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026
SpaceX is also exploring a public offering later this year that could raise up to $50 billion, potentially the largest IPO in history.
Read More: Musk unites SpaceX and xAI in record deal
Musk’s other venture, Tesla, is undergoing its own strategic pivot. The electric vehicle maker plans to invest $20 billion this year to accelerate autonomous driving and robot production. The company is ending production of two car models at its California factory to make space for manufacturing its Optimus humanoid robots.
Earlier Sunday, Musk released SpaceX’s first Super Bowl ad promoting Starlink Wi-Fi, highlighting the company’s growing focus on internet services alongside space exploration ambitions.