'In less than 10 years': Elon Musk says SpaceX to prioritise building self-growing city on moon

Elon Musk

In an announcement that could have far-reaching consequences for humanity, Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a "self‑growing city" on the moon, which he said could be achieved in less than 10 years.

"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," Musk added in an X post.

The billionaire CEO's comments echo a Wall Street Journal report on Friday, stating that SpaceX has told investors it would prioritise going to the moon first and attempt a trip to Mars at a later time, targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed lunar landing.

Musk said last year that he aimed to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026.

The United States faces intense competition this decade from China in its effort to return astronauts to the moon, where no humans have gone since the final U.S. Apollo mission in 1972.

No human has walked on the surface of the Moon since the last US Apollo mission back in 1972. In the recent years, both the US and China have intensified their lunar programmes, placing the Moon as a gateway to future space dominance.

Interestingly, the tech billionaire has long advocated the concept of making humanity a “multi-planetary species”, with Mars being touted as the primary destination.