ELON Musk has long set his sights on building a colony on Mars where humans can live.
But the billionaire space mogul is changing his rocket gears to focus on another, closer destination.
Musk is shifting focus from Mars to the MoonCredit: Getty
The US, China and Russia are all vying for a slice of the MoonCredit: Getty
Musk’s SpaceX is contributing towards missions to the MoonCredit: Getty
The Moon.
, 54, wants to build a “self-growing city” on the lunar surface and believes it can be done in less than 10 years.
So what’s changed for the world’s richest man?
The boss has conceded that would take a lot longer to achieve, probably over 20 years.
“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),” he said.
“This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city.”
However, Musk isn’t giving up on his Red Planet dreams, adding: “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.”
The Moon is under increased focus at the moment, with the first crewed .
Four astronauts will be launched into space and whizz around the Moon on a trajectory that brings the craft back to .
It was originally meant to blast off on as soon as February 8 but was forced to delay due to a fuel leak.
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If the ten day Artemis II mission goes to plan, Nasa is expected to follow it up with a third as soon as 2028, which could see astronauts land on the Moon itself.
Musk’s SpaceX is leading on the lander tech that will be used for Artemis III.
And it’s not just the US who has their sights on the Moon.
China and Russia want to build a by 2036, as part of their shared lunar space-base.
Slated to be bigger than Disneyland, with a radius of 3.7miles, the base is intended to host a command centre, a communication hub, and scientific facilities, alongside the power station.
Former Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson has previously warned that China could try to .
ARTEMIS II – THE KEY FACTS
Here's what you need to know...
Launch Date: March 2026 (date TBC)
Mission Duration: 10 days
Space Launch System:
- Height: 322 feet (98 metres)
- Weight: 5.75 million lbs (2.6 million kg)
- Thrust: 8.8 million lbs
- Cost per launch: $2.5 billion (£1.98 billion)
Orion Spacecraft:
- Crew Capacity: 4 people
- Mission Life: Up to 21 days (undocked)
- Total Mission Cost (with SLS): $4.1 billion (£3.25 billion)
Mission Trajectory:
- Lunar Distance: Looping around the Moon (approx. 4,600 miles from lunar surface)
- Re-entry Speed: 25,000 mph (40,233 km/h)
- Splashdown Location: Pacific Ocean
Crew Firsts:
- First person of colour: Victor Glover
- First woman: Christina Koch
- First non-American: Jeremy Hansen (Canada)
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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