Elizabeth laurence

NEWS: Elon Musk laid out SpaceX's core mission in precise terms during his Forbes interview, describing the specific test he uses to define a genuinely self-sustaining civilization beyond Earth. If resupply ships from Earth stop arriving for any reason, does the civilization on the Moon or Mars continue to grow or does it collapse? Passing that test is the actual goal, not simply putting humans on another planet. To reach it, Elon estimates humanity needs to deliver roughly 1 million tons of cargo to the Moon or Mars to build sufficient industrial capacity. He was careful to define what multi-planetary actually means. It is not about leaving Earth and relocating somewhere else. That would simply be a single-planet civilization in a harder place to live. The goal is for humanity to extend outward while keeping Earth intact, eventually becoming a spacefaring civilization spread across multiple worlds. SpaceX's Starship, targeting full reusability as early as this year, is the vehicle Musk says makes the million-ton goal physically achievable. He described this as a "fundamental breakthrough" he hopes to see happen in 2026.