New Delhi, February 9: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, announced on Monday his ambitious goal to establish a self-sustaining city on the Moon within the next ten years. Following this, he aims to facilitate human presence on Mars within approximately 20 years.
According to Musk, the world’s richest person, SpaceX has already focused on creating a self-sustaining city on the Moon, as this endeavor is feasible in under a decade. In contrast, establishing a city on Mars will take 20 years or more.
In a post on his social media platform X, Musk reiterated that SpaceX’s mission remains the same: to spread consciousness and life, as we know it, to the stars.
Musk explained that traveling to Mars is only possible when the planets align every 26 months, with a journey taking about six months. In comparison, launches to the Moon can occur every ten days, with a travel time of just two days. This means that the process of establishing a city on the Moon can be completed much more quickly than on Mars.
He also mentioned that SpaceX plans to begin efforts to establish a city on Mars within five to seven years. However, the immediate priority is to secure the future of civilization, which the Moon can assist with more rapidly.
Last September, Musk stated that the first uncrewed Starship mission would be launched toward Mars within two years, coinciding with the optimal travel window between Earth and Mars.
Starship is the world’s most powerful rocket, designed to transport humans first to the Moon and later to Mars. Musk indicated that the initial Starship missions will be uncrewed to ensure safe landings on Mars. If these missions succeed, humans could be sent to Mars within four years.
He added that the number of missions will increase rapidly, with the goal of establishing a self-sustaining city on Mars in about 20 years.