• SpaceX focuses on an uncrewed lunar landing mission in 2027
• New xAI deal boosts the company’s total value to $1 trillion

SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, announced that it will prioritize lunar missions first, postponing any attempt to reach Mars to a later date, according to media reports.

The company aims for March 2027 to carry out a landing on the Moon without astronauts on board, the same report added.

This decision comes after SpaceX approved its acquisition of xAI in a deal valuing the rocket company at $1 trillion and the AI firm at $250 billion.

Musk had stated last year that he plans to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026.

The company is currently developing its new Starship rocket, made from stainless steel, fully reusable, and designed to carry out multiple missions, including flights to the Moon and Mars.

The U.S. space program faces strong competition this decade from China in its effort to return astronauts to the Moon, which no human has set foot on since the last American Apollo mission in 1972.