Shift the focus! Musk sets a new decade commitment: to lead SpaceX to build a trillion-dollar moon city.

Elon Musk stated last Sunday that SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a "self-sustaining city" on the moon, with hopes of achieving this in less than 10 years. "Having said that, SpaceX also remains committed to building a city on Mars and plans to start within about 5 to 7 years, but the top priority is ensuring the future of civilization, and the moon can be achieved faster," Musk added on X platform. Musk's conceptualization of a "self-sustaining city" on the moon represents a long-term vision of turning extraterrestrial exploration from short-term missions to permanent settlements. The core of this concept relies on SpaceX's Starship transport capability to deliver the necessary modules, equipment, and resource utilization technology to the moon in phases. By gradually building the required infrastructure, the goal is to enable the moon base to expand and operate using local resources, forming a sustainable living environment over time and demand. The realization of this vision largely depends on continuous technological advancements and investment. Musk's statements align with a report last Friday, which stated that SpaceX has informed investors of prioritizing the lunar mission before attempting a trip to Mars, aiming for an unmanned lunar landing in March 2027. Additionally, he also mentioned last year that the goal was to launch an unmanned probe mission to Mars by the end of 2026. SpaceX's decision to shift its focus to the moon is closely related to the current policy environment and technological feasibility. The renewed interest in lunar exploration globally and the moon mission schedules set by governments and space agencies provide SpaceX with potential collaboration opportunities and market demands. In this decade, the United States faces intense competition from China as it strives to send astronauts back to the moon. Since the final Apollo mission in 1972, humans have not set foot on the moon. Musk made the above statements after SpaceX agreed to acquire xAI. In this deal, the rocket and satellite company SpaceX is valued at $1 trillion, while the artificial intelligence company xAI is valued at $250 billion.