Washington, DC – The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reported that Elon Musk’s SpaceX has told investors it will prioritize reaching the moon first. A mission to Mars will be postponed. According to the report, the company is targeting March 2027 for an unmanned lunar landing, without sending astronauts on board. This change in plans stems from SpaceX’s focus on developing its Starship rocket. It’s worth noting that the rocket is still undergoing extensive construction and testing.
Starship is a massive, stainless-steel spacecraft designed to be fully reusable and capable of transporting humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The focus on the Moon reflects a pragmatic approach to minimizing technical and logistical risks, as it is seen as a more accessible and easier environment for conducting experiments. This is done before moving on to the more complex challenges associated with Mars missions. SpaceX aims to utilize Starship in a wide range of missions, including launching satellites, conducting future lunar missions, and ultimately, crewed missions to Mars. Observers believe this shift in priorities gives the company an opportunity to test the vehicle’s readiness and conduct comprehensive experiments in a relatively less hazardous environment before tackling the challenges of traveling to the Red Planet, millions of kilometers from Earth.
In a related development, the company continues to expand into new areas, having recently acquired the artificial intelligence company xAI. This acquisition has valued SpaceX at approximately $1 billion. The new company is valued at around $250 billion, reflecting Elon Musk’s focus on integrating space science with artificial intelligence technologies. While it remains unclear how AI technologies will contribute to missions to the Moon or Mars, experts point to their vast potential for use in planning, controlling, and managing future spaceflights. Furthermore, SpaceX’s focus on the Moon comes amidst a growing global race to land humans on its surface, with several countries, including China, aiming to send humans back this decade. Therefore, the unmanned American mission is a crucial preliminary step before resuming attempts to land humans on other planets.
