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For more than two decades, Elon Musk told the world that Mars was the mission. Now, the Moon comes first.

Musk confirmed on 8 February that SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a permanent, 'self-growing city' on the Moon, saying it could be done in less than 10 years. A Mars city, by contrast, would take more than 20.

The reason isn't about science. It's about speed.

'It is only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months (six month trip time), whereas we can launch to the Moon every 10 days (2 day trip time),' Musk wrote on X. 'This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city.'

13 Times Faster: The Math Behind the Shift

Put simply, SpaceX can test, fail, and rebuild on lunar missions roughly 13 times more often than it could with Mars. That kind of cycle time matters to a company that built its reputation on blowing up rockets until they worked. It's rapid prototyping over long-distance ambition — and it's very much how Musk operates.

But this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment post.

Two days before Musk's announcement, the Wall Street Journal reported that SpaceX had already told investors it would prioritise a Moon landing first, with an uncrewed lunar landing targeted for March 2027. That timing matters. It suggests a coordinated investor strategy, not a sudden change of direction.

Musk had previously aimed to send an uncrewed Starship to Mars by the end of 2026. That plan has now been shelved.

What It Means for Your Money and the Space Race

The financial stakes are hard to ignore. SpaceX recently acquired Musk's artificial intelligence firm xAI in a deal valuing SpaceX at $1 trillion (£735 billion) and xAI at $250 billion (£184 billion). The combined entity, now valued at $1.25 trillion (£918 billion), is reportedly eyeing an IPO later this year that could raise as much as $50 billion (£37 billion).

That kind of money is now betting on the Moon, not Mars — at least for the next decade. And the commercial case isn't thin. A shorter travel time makes crew rotations, supply chains, and construction timelines far more practical. Lunar resources, including water ice at the poles and potentially Helium-3, could also drive long-term economic interest.

Then there's the geopolitical pressure.

The US faces what Reuters described as 'intense competition this decade from China' in returning astronauts to the Moon. Beijing has announced plans for a crewed lunar landing by 2030, and its robotic missions have already landed on the Moon's far side and returned samples to Earth.

NASA's Artemis II mission, set to launch in March 2026, will send astronauts around the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 — but it won't land. The crewed Artemis III landing isn't expected until 2028, according to NASA's current timeline. SpaceX's Starship is the designated landing vehicle for that mission, meaning Musk's lunar focus directly supports America's own return.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has made the urgency clear, telling employees that the US has 'a great competitor that is moving at absolutely impressive speeds.'

Mars Isn't Dead — Just Pushed Back

Musk stressed that SpaceX still plans to build a city on Mars, with efforts starting in about five to seven years. 'The overriding priority is securing the future of civilisation and the Moon is faster,' he said.

For workers, this could mean thousands of new aerospace jobs related to lunar infrastructure.

For governments, it raises uncomfortable questions about ownership on the Moon.

And for anyone who thought the Moon was old news — it's not.

Musk spent 20 years saying Mars was the goal. Now he's suggesting the fastest way there is to stop at the Moon first.

Originally published on IBTimes UK