The Wall Street Journal reported today: "After years of planning to land on Mars, Musk unexpectedly announced last week that SpaceX is shifting its focus to the Moon, hoping to build a 'self-growing city'. Musk and Bezos are engaged in a fierce battle for the Moon, and their competition will only become more intense."
Comment: Musk suddenly shifted from Mars to the Moon—basically, the Mars big pie was simply impossible to continue drawing. He needs to find a project that can be implemented to stabilize the situation.
For many years, the dream of Mars has been accompanied by technical difficulties, funding requirements, and timeframes that far exceeded expectations. Starship's repeated test flights have still not brought us any closer to a manned mission to Mars. Instead of continuing to draw an unfulfillable big pie that would take decades to realize, it's better to settle for the more realistic moon cake—there are NASA orders and funds, and it can quickly produce visible results. It also allows him to compete with Bezos for the attention of the space race.
The so-called "self-growing city on the Moon" is essentially just another way to draw a pie, but this one is closer, smaller, and easier to achieve. On one side is the long-delayed Mars myth, and on the other is the lunar project that can immediately bring resources and orders. Musk's shift is not a strategic upgrade, but a return to reality. He wants to first make money and accomplish things that can be realized.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857338362132489/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.