American billionaire Elon Musk revealed a strategic shift for SpaceX, as it is now focusing its efforts on building a self-sufficient city on the moon. Musk believes that achieving this goal is possible in less than a decade.
In a post on the “X” platform, Musk explained that the company will also continue working on a project to establish a city on Mars, with that starting within 5 to 7 years. However, the highest priority remains to secure the future of human civilization, and the moon represents the fastest way to achieve this, according to his opinion.
Musk stated: “However, SpaceX will also seek to build a city on Mars, but securing the future of civilization is the top priority, and the moon is the fastest way.”
In a related context, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing informed sources, that SpaceX informed its investors of its intention to give priority to reaching the moon first, before later moving on to manned missions towards Mars. The newspaper indicated that the company is targeting March 2027 to carry out an unmanned landing on the moon.
Last year, Musk announced his intention to send an unmanned mission to Mars by the end of this year, as part of a long-term program aimed at transforming humans into multi-planetary beings.
These developments come in light of increasing competition between the United States and China in the race to return to the moon, as humans have not set foot on its surface since the last manned mission within the American Apollo program in 1972. Washington, in cooperation with private companies, led by SpaceX, is seeking to establish a permanent presence on the moon, in preparation for further missions in deep space.
Musk’s statements coincided with SpaceX’s announcement of its agreement to acquire the company “xAI”, in a deal described as having large dimensions, as it combines rocket and satellite activity on the one hand, and artificial intelligence technologies on the other hand, including the “Grok” chatbot.
The value of “SpaceX” is estimated at approximately $1 trillion, while the value of “XAI” is estimated at approximately $250 billion, in a move that reflects Musk’s ambition to integrate space exploration with artificial intelligence within a comprehensive future vision.
