SpaceX shifts focus to moon landing before Mars

SpaceX is reportedly delaying parts of its Mars timeline to prioritize a planned moon mission, with the company now targeting an uncrewed lunar landing as early as March 2027.

The shift signals a strategic adjustment as the company continues developing its next-generation Starship rocket, designed to support missions to both the moon and Mars while being fully reusable, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The report comes after SpaceX recently agreed to acquire artificial intelligence company xAI in a deal that reportedly values SpaceX at about $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion, highlighting the company’s expanding technology ambitions beyond spaceflight.

SpaceX has not publicly confirmed the reported timeline change. Previously, CEO Elon Musk said he aimed to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026.

Starship remains central to SpaceX’s long-term plans, with the massive stainless steel rocket intended to handle a wide range of missions, from satellite launches to deep space exploration.

The renewed focus on the moon also comes amid growing global competition in space exploration. The United States is pushing to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the final Apollo mission in 1972, while China is also accelerating its own lunar ambitions.

If the reported timeline holds, the 2027 lunar mission could mark a major milestone for SpaceX and for the broader push toward sustained human and robotic presence beyond Earth orbit.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada