SpaceX shifts focus from Mars to Moon, Musk says
The Hindu
SpaceX shifts its focus from Mars to establishing a Moon settlement, citing quicker access and feasibility, says Elon Musk.
SpaceX is putting its longstanding focus of sending humans to Mars on the back burner to prioritise establishing a settlement on the Moon, founder Elon Musk said Sunday (February 8, 2026).
The South Africa-born billionaire’s space company has found massive success as a NASA contractor, but critics have for years panned Mr. Musk’s Mars colonisation plans as overambitious.
The move also puts Mr. Musk in alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump’s shift away from sending Americans 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,” Mr. Musk said in a post on X, the social media platform he bought in 2022.
Difficulties in reaching Mars include the fact that “it is only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months.”
“We can launch to the Moon every 10 days,” he added.
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