{"id":"f-ebdaa7ae0c-942dd1f0-db2a-5eb1-8a4b-e7dfe64cf966","title":"'We Can Build A Moon City In Under 10 Years': Elon Musk Announces Major SpaceX Strategy Shift","description":"","timestamp":1770627965,"category":"technology","headline":"'We Can Build A Moon City In Under 10 Years': Elon Musk Announces Major SpaceX Strategy Shift","modifiedHeadline":"Musk: Moon city first, Mars later","subCategories":["scid_5481d7c6"],"region":"IN","bundleMetaData":{"bundleId":"1c3f10c0-5114-4a62-9240-042ffde60004","bundleTitle":"Trending now","cardData":null},"fcSummary":"spacex is shifting its focus from mars colonization to building a self-sustaining city on the moon, citing significantly faster development timelines and frequent launch windows. elon musk believes a lunar city can be achieved in under 10 years, while mars would take over 20, though mars remains a long-term goal.","summary":"Musk: SpaceX eyes moon city in under 10 years, signaling ambitious lunar expansion plans.","ctaUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/India_News/IN/en/freepressjournal/f-ebdaa7ae0c-942dd1f0-db2a-5eb1-8a4b-e7dfe64cf966","sourceUrl":"https://www.freepressjournal.in/tech/we-can-build-a-moon-city-in-under-10-years-elon-musk-announces-major-spacex-strategy-shift/glance","bannerImage":"https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/KmRG0J7cc9z0.webp","content":"

Elon Musk has announced a significant strategic shift for SpaceX, revealing that the company is now prioritising the construction of a self-growing city on the Moon over its long-stated Mars colonisation

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goals, citing dramatically faster development timelines and launch windows.

Elon Musk says Moon first, Mars later

Speaking about the revised strategy, Musk explained that a lunar city could be achieved 'in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.' The SpaceX and xAI founder emphasised that this pivot doesn't abandon the company's ultimate mission to extend consciousness and life beyond Earth - it simply reorders the priorities to achieve results faster.

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\"The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars,\" Musk stated, but added that practical considerations now favor the Moon as the immediate focus.

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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.

\n The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026\n

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Launch window advantages drive decision

The fundamental advantage of lunar development, according to Musk, lies in launch frequency. While Mars missions are constrained by planetary alignment occurring only every 26 months - with each journey taking approximately six months - lunar missions face no such restrictions.

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\"We can launch to the Moon every 10 days with a 2-day trip time,\" Musk explained. This 13-fold increase in launch opportunities would allow SpaceX to \"iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city.\"

Mars plans remain on horizon

Despite the strategic reorientation, Musk confirmed that Mars colonisation remains firmly in SpaceX's plans. The company intends to begin Mars city construction 'in about 5 to 7 years,' but characterised the Moon as the 'overriding priority' for 'securing the future of civilisation'.

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Space-based data centers on the horizon

In related remarks about humanity's expansion into space, Musk recently also made a bold prediction about the economics of orbital infrastructure. He stated that data centers would become \"the cheapest in space in the next three years,\" suggesting that the cost advantages of space-based computing could materialise far sooner than many industry observers expect.

The claim points to potential synergies between SpaceX's launch capabilities and the massive energy and cooling requirements of modern AI data centres - a sector where Musk's xAI company is heavily invested.

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Reactions to his ambitious Moon mission are as follows:

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A full city on the Moon in just 10 years is an amazing projection. But... what scale are we talking here?
— Reply Guy Official (@RepGuyOfficial) February 9, 2026\n

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In the meantime we have some right here on earth extremely serious climate change problems that need to be addressed! It's a pity folk like Elon Musk and Donald Trump show very little if any interest re that side of things, they could've potentially played a positive role re our…
— For The Kids Etc Etc - Dion Harper (@PercievedLogic) February 9, 2026\n

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Our Galaxy is on a collision course with another galaxy... What's the plan to dodge that bullet and save civilization? (Serious question)
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— Fairways & Freeways (@fnf2017) February 8, 2026\n

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So we’re speedrunning a Moon city because Mars is “too slow”… while we still can’t build affordable housing on Earth without a decade of paperwork and vibes?
— Jack & Jackie (@MutantApeJack) February 9, 2026\n

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'We Can Build A Moon City In Under 10 Years': Elon Musk Announces Major SpaceX Strategy Shift

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