SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced a change in priorities in the space program, focusing main efforts on creating a "self-growing city" on the Moon. The entrepreneur explained that the exploration of Earth's satellite is a much faster and more realistic task that can be accomplished in less than 10 years, while the colonization of Mars will require significantly more time and resources. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The main argument in favor of the Moon was the frequency of possible launches and the short flight distance. According to Musk, the window for flights to Mars opens only once every 26 months, and the journey itself takes half a year, while rockets to the Moon can launch every 10 days and reach their destination in just two days.
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This means we can build a city on the Moon much faster than on Mars. The primary task is to secure the future of civilization, and the Moon is the faster path.
The company plans to make its first uncrewed landing on the Moon in March 2027. This decision is also supported by investors, as SpaceX aims to use the lunar base to host energy-efficient space data centers. The company's new focus aligns with the US's ambitions to overtake China in a new space race and return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo program.
Mars remains a parallel goal
Despite the shift in focus, Musk assured that SpaceX is not abandoning its plans for Mars, but will implement both projects in parallel. Work on a Martian settlement could begin in 5-7 years, but the status of "priority number one" is currently officially assigned to the Moon.
We will still be working on Mars in parallel, but the critical path to a self-sufficient lunar city is faster.
The reorientation comes as SpaceX prepares for a historic IPO, which could be the world's largest, with an estimated fundraising of up to $50 billion.
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