American technology entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk has revealed that his space exploration company, SpaceX, is actively pursuing plans to establish a self-sustaining city on the Moon. According to Musk, this ambitious goal could be realised within the next ten years.
In a post on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Musk outlined SpaceX’s long-term vision of building a city on Mars within 5–7 years, but emphasised that the immediate priority is to reach the Moon quickly and safely establish human habitation there.
This statement echoes a report published last Friday by The Wall Street Journal, which noted that SpaceX has informed investors that the Moon is now its primary focus, while Mars missions are reserved for the more distant future.
SpaceX’s lunar mission roadmap is summarised in the table below:
| Objective | Target Date | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncrewed spacecraft landing | March 2027 | Moon | Successful landing of unmanned spacecraft on the lunar surface |
| Self-sustaining lunar city | Within 10 years | Moon | Establishment of a permanent settlement and research centre |
| Uncrewed Mars mission | Within 5–7 years | Mars | Long-term planning for human settlement on Mars |
The current lunar race is intensifying, with the United States and China vying to return humans to the Moon within this decade. Notably, no human has set foot on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Less than a week ago, Musk also announced that SpaceX has acquired his AI company XAI in a deal valuing SpaceX at $100,000 and XAI at $25 billion. Musk believes that combining AI with space-based data centres will significantly reduce future computing costs.
Looking ahead, SpaceX plans to raise $50 billion in funding by the end of this year, potentially marking the largest public offering in history. Recently, Musk unveiled the company’s first “Super Bowl” advertisement promoting Starlink’s satellite-based Wi-Fi service.
Meanwhile, Musk is propelling Tesla to new heights. Beyond electric vehicle production, the company is now investing $20 billion in autonomous vehicles and humanoid robot development. To facilitate this, Tesla has halted production of two Californian car models, freeing up space for the manufacturing of the “Optimus” robot.
In summary, Elon Musk’s SpaceX is charting a bold course for the long-term expansion of human civilisation in space, while simultaneously driving innovations in AI, robotics, and space-based infrastructure that could redefine technology and exploration for decades to come.