SpaceX Redirects Focus to Lunar 'Self-Growing City'

SpaceX has announced a strategic shift in its cosmic ambitions, prioritizing the development of a "self-growing city" on the Moon, according to CEO Elon Musk. This lunar endeavor is expected to come to fruition in less than a decade, reflecting a modification in SpaceX's previously Martian-focused plans.

Despite the lunar pivot, Musk assures that the vision of colonizing Mars remains intact, with potential progress on the Red Planet anticipated within five to seven years. Musk emphasized that securing the future of civilization remains the primary goal, with the Moon providing a more immediate opportunity.

In other planetary science news, NASA’s Magellan spacecraft has provided radar data indicating the existence of a substantial underground lava tube on Venus. This type of geological formation, comparable to Earth's volcanic sites, is a significant find, marking the first subsurface feature detected on Venus.