City on Moon May Appear in Less Than 10 Years, Musk Says

TASS/APP

New York: SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said the company’s primary goal is to establish the first city on the Moon in less than a decade.

“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 on X.

He explained that launch windows to Mars open once every 26 months, with travel time taking around six months. In contrast, missions to the Moon can be launched approximately every 10 days and require only two days of travel.

Musk added that SpaceX will also pursue its long-term ambition of building a city on Mars, with efforts to begin in about five to seven years.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that SpaceX plans to conduct the first unmanned landing of its Starship spacecraft on the Moon in March 2027. According to the report, the company will prioritize the lunar programme in collaboration with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and has temporarily scaled back its immediate Mars plans.

NASA launched its Artemis lunar programme in spring 2019, comprising three stages. Artemis I involved an uncrewed flight of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and its return to Earth, which took place from November 16 to December 11, 2022.

The second stage, Artemis II, will carry astronauts on a lunar flyby mission and could take place as early as this March. Under Artemis III, NASA aims to land astronauts on the Moon.

In June 2025, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said a lunar landing could occur within the next three and a half years, although NASA had previously indicated mid-2027 as a tentative timeline.