While millions of Americans were glued to this year’s Super Bowl on Sunday night, Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a major update on SpaceX’s long-term space ambitions. The billionaire entrepreneur revealed that SpaceX is now prioritising building a base on the Moon before sending humans to Mars.
“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,” Musk wrote in his post.
Shift in Focus From Mars to the Moon
At first glance, Musk’s announcement appeared to mark a significant shift from SpaceX’s long-standing goal of creating a self-sustaining human settlement on Mars. It also seemed to signal a delay in the company’s previously announced plan to send an uncrewed mission to Mars this year using its massive Starship rocket.
However, experts say a Mars mission in 2026 was always unrealistic. Even Musk himself had acknowledged ambitious timelines in the past, and Starship remains under development with several technical hurdles, including multiple unplanned explosions during tests both in flight and on the ground.
Why Mars Missions Are Harder Than They Seem
One of the major challenges is planetary alignment. Earth and Mars align in a favourable position for space travel only once every two years, giving SpaceX a very narrow launch window. Combined with Starship’s ongoing testing and development issues, the chances of a Mars mission this year were extremely slim.
Musk has also been hinting for months that the Moon would become a bigger focus. This shift aligns with his broader vision of building massive data centres in space to support artificial intelligence computing, potentially launched from the Moon’s surface.
He has even discussed plans to establish a lunar settlement called “Moon Base Alpha.”
NASA Contracts and Lunar Ambitions
The Moon has already been part of SpaceX’s roadmap. Since 2021, the company has held a NASA contract—now valued at up to $4 billion—to use Starship to land astronauts on the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program.
Despite the renewed lunar focus, Musk insists Mars is still part of SpaceX’s future. He said the company aims to begin building a Mars city within five to seven years, but emphasised that the Moon is the immediate priority.
“The overriding priority is securing the future of civilisation, and the Moon is faster,” Musk wrote.
A Change From Musk’s Earlier Stance
Interestingly, Musk’s comments mark a shift from his earlier stance. In January 2025, he had dismissed the Moon as a “distraction” shortly after Donald Trump was re-elected as US President. At the time, both men discussed ambitious Mars missions.
Since then, their relationship has seen ups and downs, including a public fallout and subsequent reconciliation.
Rising Competition From Blue Origin
SpaceX is not the only company racing toward the Moon. Rival company Blue Origin has also increased its lunar ambitions. The firm recently paused its space tourism flights to focus on building a lunar lander for NASA under a $3.4 billion contract.
If Blue Origin develops its hardware faster, it could potentially reach the Moon before SpaceX.
Technical Challenges Still Ahead
Despite ambitious plans, SpaceX still faces major technological challenges. Starship must master critical capabilities such as in-space refuelling before it can travel to the Moon or Mars with humans on board.
For now, the Moon may be closer than Mars—but it is still a distant and complex goal.