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Moon City: Musk's New Lunar Ambition
9 Feb
Summary
- SpaceX now prioritizes a self-growing lunar city, achievable within a decade.
- Mars settlement remains a commitment, planned for five to seven years.
- Starship system faces development challenges for lunar lander contract.
SpaceX has adjusted its long-term objectives, now prioritizing the establishment of a self-growing city on the Moon. Elon Musk announced on X this past Sunday that this ambitious lunar settlement could be realized in less than ten years. This new primary goal contrasts with previous timelines for a Mars city, which Musk estimated would take over twenty years.
Musk cited the Moon's accessibility as a key factor, with launches possible every ten days and a trip time of only two days, compared to Mars's 26-month orbital alignment and six-month journey. He reiterated SpaceX's commitment to a Mars city, still planned to commence construction in five to seven years. This strategic shift follows SpaceX's acquisition of XAI, merging two of Musk's major companies.
NASA, conversely, is focused on its Artemis program, aiming to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028, a goal that has seen delays from earlier projections. SpaceX holds a significant NASA contract to develop the lunar lander using its Starship system, though Starship is still in early development and has experienced test failures. Concerns have been raised about SpaceX meeting its contractual deadlines for the Artemis III mission, with rival Blue Origin also developing a lunar lander.
Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA's lunar program, is scheduled for launch as soon as March, circumnavigating the Moon without landing. This mission serves as a precursor to Artemis III, the planned lunar landing mission.
