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Author
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Topic: Elon Musk: SpaceX shifts from Mars to moon
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56002
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-08-2026 07:33 PM
   
From SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: 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 the stars. 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). This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city. That said, SpaceX will also strive to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about 5 to 7 years, but the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1220
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 02-09-2026 12:46 AM
Starship's setbacks show that establishing a city on Mars, even in Elon Musk's lifetime, is unachievable.While I do not doubt that Starship will succeed, Musk's pivot to the moon is sensible and welcome. Whether or not Starship can get astronauts on the lunar surface before 2030 is debatable.
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SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 5555
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-09-2026 06:40 AM
Statement timing is interesting coming on the heels of Blue Origin reallocating its resources to an all hands on deck focus on the Moon. |
Headshot
Member Posts: 1448
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 02-09-2026 11:02 AM
Good point. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3923
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-09-2026 11:23 AM
I have waited a very long time to see an "all hands on deck" approach to returning to the Moon properly and permanently. I also want to see exploratory visits to Mars in my lifetime, but, in the words of the Rolling Stones, "you can't always get what you want...." |
dcfowler1
Member Posts: 175
From: Eugene, OR
Registered: May 2006
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posted 02-09-2026 10:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by issman1:
Whether or not Starship can get astronauts on the lunar surface...
Starship is an exceedingly poor choice for a lander design, regardless whether or not it ever achieves any kind of steady launch cadence. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1220
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 02-10-2026 07:50 AM
In my humble opinion Starship will be an excellent reusable upper stage for low earth orbit and suborbital missions.I was enthusiastic after Starship was selected as NASA's human landing system. Then came the developmental flight test setbacks. More shocking to me are the number of re-fuellings Starship will require travelling between Earth and the Moon, not to mention the height of the actual ship the astronauts will descend from. So I too have my doubts about its viability as an interplanetary transport system. Nevertheless, I wish Musk and SpaceX every success in their Mars ambitions. |
denali414
Member Posts: 928
From: Raleigh, NC
Registered: Aug 2017
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posted 02-10-2026 08:43 AM
I know may not be a popular opinion, but really tired of Musk, railing against all critics for his projects, then doing a 180 and pretending he never criticized the original idea. For years, said going back to Moon "useless and stupid" and bashed anyone saying Gateway and Moon base the smarter choice to test problems before Mars.Now he is 100% behind lunar development, like it was his idea. Wish more introspective and diplomatic thoughts would go a long way to help all and not just one. quote:
Originally posted by SpaceAholic:
Statement timing is interesting coming on the heels of Blue Origin...
Also with SpaceX going public, stock BOD do not take kindly to "all in" bets on company future. Musk can do that as a private company, but much more legal and liability reasons to have "proof of concepts," minimizing risk, not maximizing risk. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56002
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-10-2026 01:46 PM
From Elon Musk: SpaceX will build a system that allows anyone to travel to Moon.This will so insanely cool! And then, two minutes later, almost as if an afterthought: And Mars too. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3923
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-10-2026 03:59 PM
That's a reasonable assertion, provided there is no timescale. And he didn't give one. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56002
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-10-2026 04:26 PM
Actually, he did, in a later reply: Mars will start in 5 or 6 years, so will be done in parallel with the Moon, but the Moon will be the initial focus. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 2031
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 02-10-2026 07:04 PM
quote:
Originally posted by dcfowler1:
Starship is an exceedingly poor choice for a lander design...
Based on what info? |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 5555
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-19-2026 03:09 PM
Certainly not a great design for lunar surface crew and payload ingress/egress. Engineers were forced to make trade-offs primarily constrained by economics (Musk compelled derivatives from a single architecture rather then handing them a blank sheet and requesting an optimum design without such restriction). |
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