A City on the Moon.. Why Did "SpaceX" Shift Its Focus from Mars?

SadaNews - In a surprising shift for space project watchers, American billionaire Elon Musk announced that his company "SpaceX" will focus in the next phase on building a city on the Moon, instead of Mars, which has long been his ultimate dream.

The decision came after assessing the realities of time and speed, and according to Musk, the Moon project can be completed in less than 10 years, while Mars requires more than two decades.

The Moon is Faster than Mars

Mars has been Musk's target since founding "SpaceX" in 2002, but he has previously stated that the Moon is "distracting." However, last week he announced on the platform "X" (formerly Twitter) that the focus will temporarily shift to the Moon, as missions there can be launched every 10 days, compared to planetary alignments that allow access to Mars once every 26 months, which slows down the construction process and scientific iteration.

Musk wrote in a comment: "The mission itself has not changed.. expanding consciousness and life to the stars," adding that the speed of access to the Moon enables the execution of the city-building experiment more quickly and flexibly.

"Starship".. The Backbone of the Lunar City

The giant, reusable "Starship" rocket will be the primary means for establishing this settlement. Thanks to technologies such as in-space fuel transfer, "Starship" will be able to transport massive payloads to the Moon, enabling a permanent presence for scientific and industrial purposes.

According to Musk, factories on the Moon will take advantage of local resources to produce and launch satellites into deep space, which will help accelerate humanity's progress on the Kardashev scale of energy.

Musk also clarified that the focus on the Moon is also due to concerns about natural or human-made disasters, which could disrupt shipments from Earth and lead to the failure of any settlement on Mars; whereas a lunar city could become self-growing in less than 10 years, while Mars will take more than 20 years.

Despite the new focus on the Moon, "SpaceX" has not abandoned Mars, as preparations for manned missions to the red planet are expected to begin within five to six years, with the possibility of the first manned flight in 2031, alongside the Moon project.

Challenges of "Starship" and the Race to the Moon

So far, "SpaceX" has conducted 11 test flights of the "Starship" rocket, all below Earth’s orbit, and the rocket still needs to complete its orbital mission and demonstrate the capability of refueling in space, which is essential for lunar missions.

The project also faces potential competition from other companies such as "Blue Origin," run by Jeff Bezos, which announced the suspension of space tourism flights to focus on the Moon.

With the focus on the Moon, humanity could be just steps away from establishing a real settlement that allows scientific research and space manufacturing to develop at a faster pace, laying the groundwork for larger projects towards Mars and other planets.

Source: Various Websites