Will Musk’s moon pivot put SpaceX on a collision course with China’s lunar ambitions?

After years of ambitious talk about going to Mars, Elon Musk has shifted his focus to “building a self-growing city on the moon”. Announcing his latest project on his X social media platform on February 9, 2026, the SpaceX founder said the moon mission is achievable in less than a decade. Reaching Mars, he said, could take over 20 years. But Musk’s pivot could see SpaceX competing for prime space with Chinese plans for an International Lunar Research Station.