SpaceX ditches Mars for Moon in shocking interplanetary pivot
Elon Musk just switched up SpaceX's big plan—now, instead of aiming for Mars first, the company has shifted focus to building a "self-growing city" on the Moon.
After previously emphasizing Mars as humanity's next stop, this pivot is all about speed and practicality.
Why the Moon?
Turns out, getting to the Moon is way easier and faster. There are launch windows every 10 days (unlike Mars, which has launch windows roughly every 26 months, or about every 2.2 years), and it only takes two days to get there.
This means SpaceX can test and build things much more quickly—perfect for learning fast before heading further out.
What about Mars?
SpaceX plans to set up "Moonbase Alpha," where they'll use cool tech like electromagnetic launchers to make AI-powered satellites right on the lunar surface.
The goal: crank out huge amounts of satellite hardware and computing power each year, with Starship flights helping build out infrastructure that Musk's AI company, xAI, has discussed.
In the end, it's all about the journey
This isn't just a detour—it's SpaceX using the Moon as a giant practice ground to allow faster iteration and to inform future Mars efforts.
It shows how quickly big dreams can shift gears when there's a smarter path forward.