Khaberni - "The Wall Street Journal" reported citing sources that billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX has informed investors that it will prioritize reaching the moon first and will attempt a journey to Mars later.
The report added that the company is targeting March 2027 for landing on the moon's surface without sending astronauts on board.
This change in plans is due to focusing on developing the "Starship" rocket, which is still under construction and undergoing extensive testing.
"Starship" is a large stainless steel spaceship designed to be fully reusable, capable of transporting humans and cargo to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
This approach reflects a practical step to reduce technical and logistical risks, as the moon is a closer and easier environment for trials before moving on to the more challenging missions to Mars.
"SpaceX" aims to use "Starship" for a wide range of missions, including launching satellites and future lunar missions, all the way to Mars journeys.
This shift in priorities is an opportunity for the company to ensure the vehicle's readiness and conduct comprehensive tests in a relatively safe environment before facing the challenges of traveling to Mars, which is millions of kilometers away from Earth.
At the same time, the company is expanding into new areas, having recently acquired the artificial intelligence company xAI, in a move that values SpaceX at one billion US dollars, and the new company at about 250 billion dollars, reflecting Musk’s direction towards integrating space sciences with artificial intelligence technologies.
It has not yet been clarified how this technology will contribute to supporting moon or Mars missions, but the possibilities are available for applying artificial intelligence in planning and controlling future space missions.
SpaceX's focus on the moon comes amid an escalating global race to land on its surface, with China also aiming to resend humans within this decade, making the unmanned American mission an important preparatory step before resuming attempts for manned landings on other planets.
