Elon Musk announces SpaceX will build self-growing city on the Moon in less than 10 years

Nii Ayitey Brown 15:56 - 09 February 2026

SpaceX is prioritising plans to build a self-sustaining Moon base within 10 years, citing faster launch windows and shorter trips, with Mars settlement efforts to follow later.

SpaceX has announced a major change in its long-term space colonisation plans, putting the spotlight firmly on building a “self-growing city” on the Moon before focusing on Mars, according to statements from company founder Elon Musk and recent reports.

In a post on the social media platform X on 8 February 2026, Musk said the aerospace firm is now prioritising lunar development because the Moon offers faster and more frequent launch opportunities compared with the Red Planet.

“For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years,” Musk wrote.

For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.

The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026

According to Musk, missions to Mars are constrained by planetary alignment, occurring roughly every 26 months and take about six months each way.

By contrast, missions to the Moon can be launched about every 10 days and take only around 2 days travel time, offering SpaceX a rapid cycle for testing technologies and building infrastructure.

“The overriding priority is securing the future of civilisation, and the Moon is faster,” Musk said in his post.

He also highlights that the shift does not mean abandoning Mars altogether but rather choosing a more achievable nearer-term goal first. SpaceX still intends to begin work on a Mars city within 5 to 7 years, he added.

SpaceX believes that by focusing on a lunar settlement, potentially achievable in under a decade, it can build, test and iterate critical technologies far more quickly than in the more distant Martian environment.

Lunar missions offer more frequent launch windows and shorter travel times, allowing for faster progress toward habitable infrastructure.

Additionally, SpaceX is reportedly targeting an uncrewed lunar landing as early as March 2027, which would be a major milestone in its Moon strategy and a key step before building out larger habitats and support systems.

Despite the renewed emphasis on the Moon, SpaceX has reiterated that Mars remains part of its long-term vision. Musk has said that planning for a city on Mars could begin in the next several years, but he considers lunar development a quicker and more practical way to start securing humanity’s multi-planetary future.

SpaceX’s evolving strategy comes amid intensifying global competition in space exploration. China and Russia are working jointly on lunar research stations, while NASA’s Artemis program is preparing for further crewed missions to the Moon.

The announcement has sparked vibrant discussion online. One X user tweeted: