Elon Musk announced on the X social network that SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a “self-growing” city on the moon, which could be completed in less than ten years. In contrast, the formation of a city on Mars, according to him, will require more than 20 years. At the same time, Musk emphasized that the basic mission of the company does not change – the goal is to expand human consciousness and life beyond the Earth, towards deep space.
In explaining why the Moon is a much more realistic short-term target than Mars, Musk pointed to differences in the conditions of space travel. The launch window for Mars only opens once every 26 months, while the trip itself takes about six months one way. In contrast, missions to the moon can be organized every ten days, with a flight duration of only two days. It is this logistical advantage that allows for much faster construction iterations and makes the Moon a priority at the current stage.
The moon as the first self-sustaining alien city
Although the Moon currently has the upper hand, Musk has not given up on Mars. He stated that SpaceX plans to start building the city in a period of five to seven years, but that right now it is crucial to ensure the long-term future of human civilization. The efficiency and availability of lunar infrastructure make it a logical first step.
This strategic turn has a solid foundation in earlier projects. Back in 2021, SpaceX received a contract worth about 4 billion dollars from the NASA agency, with which the company undertook to adapt Starship as a lunar lander for the Artemis program. As part of that program, the Artemis 2 mission, planned for April 2026, should mark the return of humans to lunar orbit after more than half a century, while the Artemis 3 landing on the moon’s south pole has been pushed back to 2027.
Although 2026 was the key window for unmanned missions to Mars, SpaceX has already made it clear to investors that it will focus resources on Artemis and lunar infrastructure during that period. Analysts point out that the key idea is a “self-growing” city – a base that is not only self-sufficient, but with the help of robots and automated systems can also expand on its own, without constant dependence on the Earth.
SpaceX has already demonstrated the basic technologies needed for such a vision, including the production of construction materials from lunar soil, as well as the extraction of oxygen and water. If at least a basic level of self-sustainability is achieved in the next ten years, the Moon could become the first real alien settlement in the history of mankind.