SpaceX has postponed its long-anticipated mission to Mars, opting instead to concentrate on a lunar landing as part of its commitments to NASA, according
to people familiar with the company’s plans, said a report by Wall Street Journal. The rocket maker had earlier targeted 2026 for its first trip to the Red Planet. However, it has now informed investors that Mars will come later, with the Moon taking priority. SpaceX is aiming for an uncrewed lunar landing in March 2027, one source said. The shift reflects a broader strategic realignment at SpaceX, which is also expanding into space-based artificial intelligence infrastructure following its acquisition of Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI. That deal, announced this week, values the combined businesses at $1.25 trillion. SpaceX is also preparing for an initial public offering that could take place as early as this summer. In an internal memo announcing the merger, Elon Musk, who serves as SpaceX’s CEO, reiterated his vision of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon as a stepping stone for deeper space exploration. “The capabilities we unlock by making space-based data centers a reality will fund and enable self-growing bases on the Moon, an entire civilization on Mars, and ultimately expansion to the Universe,” Musk wrote. NASA Pressure and Artemis Goals NASA has contracted SpaceX to develop a version of its massive Starship rocket that can dock in lunar orbit, receive astronauts, and transport them to the Moon’s surface. This mission is a central pillar of the agency’s Artemis program, which aims to return US astronauts to the Moon later this decade. The Texas-based company has relied heavily on billions of dollars in NASA funding to advance Starship, a fully reusable rocket standing more than 400 feet tall. Musk’s renewed focus on the Moon marks a notable reversal. As recently as last year, he dismissed lunar missions as a “distraction” and declared SpaceX would go “straight to Mars.” He had even urged then-President Donald Trump to back a Mars mission, arguing it would secure Trump’s legacy as a “president of firsts,” according to earlier reporting by The Wall Street Journal. SpaceX had previously planned to launch up to five Starships toward Mars in late 2026, taking advantage of a favorable orbital alignment that shortens the journey between Earth and Mars. But in a January podcast, Musk acknowledged that a Mars attempt this year would carry “low probability” and could divert focus from other priorities. A Tight Timeline and Growing Competition Meeting the March 2027 lunar target will be challenging. SpaceX must demonstrate it can launch Starship frequently and refuel the spacecraft while in orbit—capabilities it has yet to prove at scale. NASA officials have been urging SpaceX to accelerate its lunar efforts. In October, then-NASA head Sean Duffy publicly criticized delays and called for greater competition in developing lunar landers. That competition is intensifying. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is racing to develop its own simplified lunar landing system. In January, Blue Origin said it would pause its suborbital tourism flights to concentrate resources on Moon missions. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has welcomed the rivalry, saying competition between SpaceX and Blue Origin could accelerate progress. NASA plans to send astronauts on a lunar flyby mission, Artemis II, in the near future. That mission would pave the way for a possible crewed Moon landing in 2028, using a lander developed by either SpaceX or Blue Origin.
