Elon Musk Says SpaceX Is Prioritizing a Moon City Over Mars, Calling It the "Fastest Path" for Off-World Civilization

SpaceX has reportedly shifted its near-term focus from Mars colonization to building a self-sustaining city on the Moon, according to comments from CEO Elon Musk on social media. The move reflects what Musk described as the fastest achievable path to establishing an off-Earth civilization.

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.

The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Musk explained that a city on the Moon could potentially be developed in under ten years, thanks in part to the more frequent launch opportunities and shorter travel times compared with Mars. The Moon can be reached roughly every ten days with about a two-day trip, whereas trips to Mars are possible only once every 26 months and take about six months in transit. According to Musk, this difference enables much faster iteration on infrastructure, logistics, and survival systems.

"For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon," Musk wrote, noting that the company’s mission remains to extend life and consciousness beyond Earth.

Despite the renewed lunar focus, Musk emphasized that Mars remains part of SpaceX’s long-term goals. He said the company still plans to begin work on a Mars settlement in about five to seven years, but the Moon effort is viewed as the “critical path” for securing the future of civilization in a shorter timeframe.

Musk’s comments align with recent reports that SpaceX has informed investors of this priority shift and that the company is targeting a first uncrewed lunar landing as early as March 2027.

The pivot comes amid renewed global interest in lunar exploration. The United States, alongside SpaceX’s NASA Artemis Program partners, aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era, while other nations pursue their own lunar goals. In this context, SpaceX’s lunar city plan could serve both scientific and strategic purposes. 

Musk’s announcement marks a notable shift from earlier statements that prioritized Mars over other destinations, underscoring how SpaceX’s approach to achieving humanity’s interplanetary ambitions continues to evolve.

A lot of SpaceX critics jumping for joy right now, incorrectly claiming that pushing Mars back by a synodic cycle or two is abandoning it, proving that it was a “scam”

This is nonsense of course. What is going to happen is a massive ramp up of Starship cadence for the Moon and…

— Peter Hague (@peterrhague) February 9, 2026

Mars will start in 5 or 6 years, so will be done in parallel with the Moon, but the Moon will be the initial focus https://t.co/tP66X6MZMT

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 9, 2026

Big Mass driver on the moon would speed colonization up on Mars I assume. https://t.co/uxaGFGczKa

— Aaron Burnett (@aaronburnett) February 9, 2026