According to people familiar with the matter, SpaceX has postponed its Mars mission originally scheduled for this year and instead focused on NASA's moon landing plan. SpaceX has told investors it will prioritize landing on the moon and then attempt a trip to Mars, sources said. Another person familiar with the matter said the company is now targeting an unmanned lunar landing in March 2027, which is a change from its previous window of 2026 for a trip to Mars.
SpaceX previously planned to launch multiple Starships to Mars by the end of 2026, but now says the Mars mission will occur after completing the moon landing milestone.
Musk responded to the news shared by a netizen on the social platform
Musk has previously said that in the future, SpaceX plans to establish a permanent base on the moon, use lunar resources to build AI satellites, and launch them directly into deep space through an "Electromagnetic Mass Driver". He predicted that combined with lunar manufacturing, it is expected to deploy 500 to 1,000 terawatts (TW) of AI satellites into deep space every year in the future.