"After 25 years of obsessing over Mars, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX has shifted focus from invading the Red Planet to invading the Moon. He claims he will build a self-sustainable lunar metropolis in less than a decade-a sharp contrast to his proposed Mars colony, which he says would now take at least 20 years. Both timelines are as fictional as Star Trek, but at least now his plan makes sense."
"The Moon is closer, making it faster to get to, and it aligns with the geopolitical objectives of the United States (the government pays a lot of SpaceX's bills). It makes sense financially, opening the opportunity for the return of investment that may come from mining the lunar surface and orbiting asteroids, as well as his absurd plan to put one million AI satellites in orbit (made and launched from the Moon, no less)."
Elon Musk shifted SpaceX's priority from Mars to the Moon, proposing a self-sustainable lunar metropolis within a decade while pushing back Mars timelines to decades. The pivot rests on practicality: lunar travel is faster and resupply is more feasible, reducing vulnerability to a single catastrophic event that could sever supply lines to Mars. The Moon aligns with U.S. geopolitical interests and government funding, and it offers clearer commercial pathways such as mining the surface, exploiting orbiting asteroids, and manufacturing satellites. The change also serves financial goals by presenting nearer-term investment returns to support fundraising and a planned 2026 IPO.
Read at Fast Company
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