Tech billionaire Elon Musk has announced a new long-term goal of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon, marking a shift in his space exploration plans. The world’s richest man said the aim is to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions.
Musk said the first step of this “moon-first” strategy is to build a self-growing city on the Moon, expressing hope that SpaceX could achieve this within the next ten years. The 54-year-old CEO confirmed that the company is now focusing more on lunar missions as an immediate objective.
In a SpaceX update, it was stated that the company has shifted its focus toward building a self-growing city on the Moon because it may be possible within a decade, while establishing a similar presence on Mars could take more than 20 years.
Despite this change in focus, Musk said he still plans to pursue his long-term goal of building a city on Mars. He noted that although he aims to reach Mars within the next five to seven years, the current priority is different, adding that securing the future of civilization is the main objective and the Moon offers a faster path toward that goal.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, SpaceX is planning to send its first uncrewed mission to the Moon in March 2027.
