With Mars still decades away, the SpaceX founder believes a self-growing lunar settlement could be achievable in under 10 years
Elon Musk is rethinking the timeline for humanity’s expansion into space, signaling that the Moon may now serve as the most realistic proving ground for building an off-world city while the far more complex mission to Mars continues in parallel.
The SpaceX founder has long framed Mars as the ultimate destination for human settlement. But the physical realities of space travel, including launch windows, distance, and mission costs, appear to be driving a more incremental strategy. The Moon, roughly 384,000 kilometers from Earth, is dramatically closer than Mars, whose distance varies widely but averages about 225 million kilometers.
That proximity allows for faster testing cycles, repeated missions, and the ability to transport materials and crews with far less delay. Musk has emphasized that Mars missions are constrained by planetary alignment, which occurs approximately every 26 months and requires a journey lasting about six months. By contrast, lunar missions could theoretically depart every 10 days and arrive in about two days.
The revised focus does not mean SpaceX is stepping away from its Martian ambitions. Instead, Musk has suggested that progress on the Moon could accelerate the technologies and operational experience required for deeper space colonization. Establishing infrastructure closer to Earth could also reduce risk while demonstrating that a self-sustaining extraterrestrial settlement is possible.
Among the company’s internal initiatives is a project contained in a folder labeled Moon City, a concept centered on building a settlement capable of expanding over time. Musk has indicated he wants the project realized in less than a decade, positioning it as a critical intermediate step toward becoming a multi-planetary species.
As he explained on X, formerly Twitter: “For those who don’t know, SpaceX has already shifted its focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we could potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas on Mars it would take more than 20 years. SpaceX’s mission remains the same: to extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars.”
Musk has repeatedly pointed to the Moon’s accessibility as the decisive factor behind the near-term strategy. “It’s only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months, with a six-month journey, while we can travel to the Moon every 10 days, with a two-day journey. This means we can build and complete a lunar city much faster than a Martian one. That said, SpaceX will also strive to build a city on Mars and will begin doing so in about five to seven years, but the main priority is securing the future of civilisation, and the Moon is faster.”
The approach reflects a broader shift underway in the global space industry, where government agencies and private companies are increasingly treating the Moon as both a laboratory and a launchpad for deeper exploration. NASA’s Artemis program, for example, aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a sustained human presence, while commercial partners are racing to develop landers, habitats, and logistics systems.
For SpaceX, a lunar settlement could function as a test environment for life-support systems, autonomous construction, energy generation, and resource utilization, all capabilities that would be essential for surviving on Mars. The shorter travel time would also make emergency response and resupply more feasible during the early stages of habitation.
Even so, Musk continues to frame Mars as the defining objective. The Moon may come first, but in his long-term vision it serves as preparation for a far more ambitious leap.
The strategy underscores Musk’s recurring argument that humanity must expand beyond Earth to ensure its survival, whether from environmental threats, technological risks, or unforeseen global catastrophes. Building a city on the Moon, in that sense, is not just an engineering challenge but part of a larger effort to create what he sees as a backup for civilization.
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