Elon Musk says SpaceX will build a 'self-growing' city on the Moon

Elon Musk announced that SpaceX has shifted focus to building a "self-growing" city on the Moon within about a decade and said work on a Mars city could begin in five to seven years.

Elon Musk announced that SpaceX is prioritising construction of a "self-growing" city on the Moon and that work on a Mars city could begin in five to seven years. He framed the Moon project as faster to achieve than a Mars settlement and said the company can launch to the Moon far more frequently than to Mars. The announcement came as NASA prepares to fly the crewed Artemis II test mission next month and as SpaceX continues to develop its Starship system. The report also noted recent corporate moves and investor briefings that describe SpaceX's shifting priorities. Key points: - Musk said SpaceX has shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon and suggested it could be achieved in less than 10 years. - He said SpaceX would also "strive" to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about five to seven years, while noting Mars settlement would take longer to complete. - Musk explained that launches to the Moon can occur much more frequently (he cited about every 10 days) compared with Mars, which opens every 26 months, allowing faster iteration for lunar work. - SpaceX has told investors it will prioritise lunar activity and has pencilled an unmanned lunar landing for March 2027. - NASA plans include the upcoming Artemis II crewed test flight and a possible Artemis III landing mission aimed at the lunar south pole; Artemis III is currently targeted for around 2028. Summary: The announcement signals a stated shift in SpaceX's public priorities toward developing infrastructure on the Moon and a stated intention to begin Mars-related work within several years. Planned steps mentioned in reports include an unmanned lunar landing pencilled for March 2027 and NASA's Artemis II test mission next month; further timelines were described as targets rather than completed actions.