SpaceX founder Elon Musk turned to social media to inform “those unaware” that plans for a future Mars city have morphed into Moon city with the less ambitious project seemingly more attainable in the near future.
Writing on his social media channel X on February 9, 2026, Elon Musk told his 234 million followers that SpaceX’s focus had already shifted away from the Red Planet to Earth’s single moon.
“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,” wrote Musk.
He added: “The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars.”
As well as being achievable in a much shorter time, Musk cited ease of access to justify the rejigged project.
“It is only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months (six month trip time), whereas we can launch to the Moon every 10 days (2 day trip time). This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city,” he explained.
Musk was at pain to reassure his followers that his refocus on the moon did not mean that SpaceX was giving up on one day building a colony on Mars to help preserve life.
“That said, SpaceX will also strive to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about 5 to 7 years, but the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster,” ended Musk in his post.
Over the past decade, an ambition to return US astronauts to the Moon has become a central goal of NASA.
In December 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Space Policy Directive 1 for a for a “US-led, integrated program with private sector partners for a human return to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond”.
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
“It marks a first step in returning American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972, for long-term exploration and use. This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprints — we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, and perhaps someday, to many worlds beyond,” said President Trump.
Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed test flight in the Artemis campaign. The mission launch is planned for March 2026 after it was initially scheduled for February 2026 but was delayed after issues arose during a rehearsal.
During the mission four astronauts will fly aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft and complete a 10-day trip around the moon.
Musk has long been one of the loudest advocates for humanity to find new ways to survive away from Earth, believing that one day it will become uninhabitable.
He previously described a new home on Mars as “life insurance for life collectively”. His shift to the more accessible Moon could suggest Musk believes it’s an insurance policy that humanity will need to use more urgently than he previously thought.
