"Elon Musk says SpaceX has shifted its near-term priorities from Mars settlement plans to building what he called a "self-growing city on the Moon," arguing the lunar target is faster and more achievable. In a , Musk claims the company could complete this in less than 10 years, while doing the same on Mars would take over 20 years. This marks a major shift for the aerospace company,"
"Early last year Musk said in that SpaceX would be going "straight to Mars" and that "the Moon is a distraction." This was in response to Space industry analyst Peter Hague pointing out that among other considerations, lunar regolith, a material found on the surface of the moon, is about 45 percent oxygen. In 2023 NASA proved this oxygen could be extracted, which would yield enormous payload savings as opposed to shipping liquid oxygen between Earth and Mars."
SpaceX shifted near-term priorities from Mars settlement to building a self-growing city on the Moon, targeting completion in under ten years while Mars settlement could take over twenty years. The lunar focus rests on easier logistics for an initial proof of concept because of nearer proximity to Earth and more favorable launch windows. Past optimistic Mars timelines did not materialize, with earlier projections targeting settlers around 2024. Lunar regolith contains about 45 percent oxygen, and 2023 NASA demonstrations showed that oxygen can be extracted, offering significant payload savings versus transporting liquid oxygen. NASA's Artemis program plans human lunar return by 2028, with Artemis II set to launch this March.
Read at Engadget
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