Billionaire Elon Musk has long dreamed of colonizing Mars . He now says his Red Planet ambitions must wait. The Space X CEO wants to build a “self-growing city on the Moon" first. “The overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster,” Musk posted on X last week. Musk’s post came after The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Space X had told investors the company is changing its plans. Space X is now focused on the moon, the WSJ said. Musk insisted he’s not giving up on building a Martian city. But Space X won’t get started on that project for another five to seven years, he said. His latest comments mark an abrupt change from last year. That's when he said on social media: ”No, we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction." Musk has long thought that the human race's survival depends on putting people on other planets. He says a moon city could be built within 10 years. The tech mogul said launching a ship to Mars can only happen when it comes closest to Earth. That happens every 26 months. A moon launch can happen every 10 days. Also a moon journey is much shorter, Musk said. It takes two days to reach the Moon. It would take six months to get to Mars. “This means (it's) much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city.” Musk has said he wants to build a lunar factory that makes AI satellites and sends them into space. Experts wonder if that's possible in Musk's time frame. Musk has often failed to meet ambitious targets he had set for making driverless electric cars and meeting space travel goals. Last year, for example, Musk said Space X could send an uncrewed ship to Mars by the end of 2026. Reflect: What helps you decide to shift your focus when a goal feels harder to reach than you expected? Gif of the moon from Giphy.
