Elon Musk just announced a major strategic pivot for @SpaceX: the company is officially shifting its primary focus to building a "self-growing city" on the Moon. The logic is centered on speed. While Mars missions are restricted by orbital alignments every 26 months, SpaceX can launch to the Moon every 10 days. This allows for much faster iteration and development. @elonmusk estimates that a lunar city could be achieved in less than 10 years. In contrast, a similar presence on Mars is now projected to take 20 or more years to establish. Mars remains on the long-term roadmap with work potentially starting in 5 to 7 years, but the immediate priority is now "securing the future of civilization" via the faster lunar route.