Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Build A System To Let Anyone Travel To The Moon—Here's The Timeline

Pack your bags, you might go to the moon soon, not just any normal vacation. Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, has once again gone viral with his big vision for space travel.

On 10 February 2026, Musk announced that his company intends to build a system that would allow virtually anyone to journey to the Moon, showing a giant change in the way humans might access space.

Musk's announcement comes when space exploration is evolving super fast, with governments and private companies alike racing to make lunar and interplanetary travel a reality. According to Musk, the Moon is now a more practical first step than Mars because of its proximity and the frequency with which spacecraft can reach it.

The New Vision For Lunar Travel

Now, in his post on X, Musk made clear that SpaceX plans to develop a system that could one day see 'anyone' travel to the Moon. The main idea moves beyond traditional government-led space missions and opens up space travel to a far bigger audience, including regular humans like us.

While Musk did not give detailed technical specifications, his comments point towards a reusable transportation system built around SpaceX's Starship rocket, a massive spacecraft designed to carry both crew and cargo into deep space. Starship, which SpaceX has been developing and testing for many years, is central to these plans. If successful, it could make regular lunar flights possible.

Moreover, Musk also said that the Moon has distinct advantages over Mars, primarily because of the orbital mechanics involved. It is possible to launch missions to the Moon every 10 days, with each journey taking about 2 days. By contrast, trips to Mars are constrained by planetary alignment, which only occurs about every 26 months and requires around 6 months of travel time. Musk suggested that these factors make the Moon far more accessible and practical as a first step towards establishing a human presence beyond Earth.

The announcement also comes with concurrent developments at SpaceX. Recent reports say that the company is prioritising the construction of a 'self-growing city' on the Moon, which Musk believes can be achieved within the next 10 years. This concept involves building infrastructure that could expand autonomously over time, potentially using robotics and AI to construct habitats and facilities with minimal human intervention.

Furthermore, SpaceX's founder has long argued that extending human civilisation beyond Earth is essential for the long-term survival of humanity. Establishing a permanent foothold on the Moon could serve as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars and beyond, and make space travel more routine and less dependent on rare launch windows.

A Timeline For SpaceX's Moon Travel

According to Musk's statements and other reports on SpaceX's changing priorities, the timeline for these lunar missions is both insane and grounded in the realities of space travel today. The first main milestone is the completion of a system to allow lunar travel. While Musk did not provide a specific date, some reports suggest that SpaceX might aim to begin uncrewed test flights in the next year or so, with crewed missions to follow as the technology is made better. SpaceX has reportedly told investors it is targeting March 2027 for its first uncrewed lunar landing, a huge step towards realising Musk's vision.

Now, if those uncrewed missions succeed, the next phase would be to develop the full transport system capable of carrying passengers. This phase might require many additional years of testing, regulatory approval, and infrastructure development both on Earth and around the Moon. By Musk's own estimation, the Moon could host a self-sustaining settlement within 10 years, meaning that regular travel to and from the lunar surface could become a reality by the mid-2030s. Mars, though, might take more than 20 years to become a reality for human habitation.

Originally published on IBTimes UK

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Elon Musk, Spacex, Space, Moon, Technology, Tech, Science, Mars