SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the company has shifted its near-term focus to building a self-sustaining city from Mars to the Moon by around 2036.
This comes as SpaceX recently told investors it will prioritise lunar missions, targeting an uncrewed Moon landing by March 2027.
While Mars remains a long-term goal, Musk said the idea has slowed, as Moon is now seen as a practical stepping stone to interplanetary life.
SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk said the company has now shifted its focus from Mars to building a permanent human settlement on the Moon. This has put the space firm's long-term Mars ambitions on a slower track. According to Musk, SpaceX aims to develop a "self-growing city" on the Moon by around 2036, calling it a more faster step to secure humanity's future beyond Earth.
In his statement, Musk explained that reaching the Moon is far easier and quicker than travelling to Mars. While launches to Mars are possible only once every 26 months, when planets align, and it takes about six months each way, missions to the Moon can be launched every 10 days, reaching the destination in just two days.
3 February 2026
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"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-plus years," Musk further said.
This shift also aligns with a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, which said SpaceX has told investors that lunar missions will be its near-term priority. According to the report, the company is targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed lunar landing as part of its broader Moon strategy, while attempts to reach Mars would come later.
Despite the renewed emphasis on the Moon, Musk stressed that SpaceX has not abandoned its long-standing goal of settling humans in Mars. He said work on a Mars city could still begin within the next five to seven years, but the Moon currently takes precedence.
Notably, Musk has for years made bold predictions about human life on Mars. In earlier statements, he had claimed that humans could be living on the Red Planet by 2024, a timeline that has since slipped as technological, financial and regulatory challenges proved greater than expected.
