SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, has informed investors that it will prioritise reaching the Moon first and will attempt a journey to Mars at a later stage.
According to the report, the company aims to test an uncrewed spacecraft landing on the lunar surface in March 2027. This decision followed SpaceX’s agreement to acquire xAI, the artificial intelligence firm behind the chatbot “Grok”. Under the deal, the rocket and satellite manufacturer is valued at roughly one trillion dollars, while the AI company is estimated at about $250 billion. SpaceX has not yet responded to Reuters’ request for comment.
Last year, Elon Musk said he intended to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026. SpaceX is currently building the next-generation Starship rocket, made of stainless steel, which will be fully reusable and will be used for a range of missions including trips to the Moon and Mars.
The United States is facing increasing competition from China this decade for a return of human missions to the Moon, as no human has set foot there since 1972, the last crewed mission of the US Apollo programme.
