Elon Musk revealed SpaceX is pivoting from Mars settlement to building a 'self-growing' city on the Moon, claiming it could be achieved in less than 10 years compared to 20+ years for Mars. This marks a dramatic shift for the company founded 25 years ago with Mars as its singular goal. Musk made the announcement on X during Super Bowl Sunday evening.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell described her 2002 interview with Musk as 'borderline messianic,' with him discussing his Mars Oasis project. The company's Starbase facility in Texas features Mars-themed decor, including rust-red carpet in Musk's executive conference room. Until Sunday, Musk had consistently maintained that Mars was humanity's best path to becoming a multi-planetary species.

This practical pivot comes as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has finally delivered on its rocket development with the New Glenn and is going 'all in' on lunar exploration. Musk's recent obsession with artificial intelligence and Kardashev civilization theory may also be influencing the decision. The merger of SpaceX and xAI, plus plans for orbital data centers, suggest Musk sees space and AI as increasingly intertwined ambitions.

Quick Fact: SpaceX was founded 25 years ago with the goal of settling Mars.