BIG SHIFT:
Elon Musk just announced a major strategic pivot for @SpaceX: the company is officially shifting its primary focus to building a "self-growing city" on the Moon.
The logic is centered on speed. While Mars missions are restricted by orbital alignments every 26 months, SpaceX can… pic.twitter.com/FVY4qBBKpH
— Mark Kretschmann (@mark_k) February 9, 2026
I’ve always felt that the Moon made more sense because it’s closer, but going directly to Mars is doable, as Bob Zubrin demonstrated with his Mars Direct architecture back in the 1990s. But I think Elon has now decided that he can’t leave his rear area open to occupation by hostile forces.