Elon Musk plans to make Moon travel accessible to ordinary people

Washington: SpaceX founder Elon Musk has expressed his ambition to make travel to the Moon possible for ordinary people in the future, as his vision of establishing a permanent human presence on the lunar surface increasingly moves from science fiction toward an engineering roadmap.

Under the concept of “Moonbase Alpha,” Musk envisions establishing a permanent lunar presence and eventually opening Moon travel beyond traditional NASA astronauts to ordinary citizens who wish to make the journey.

SpaceX’s massive Starship vehicle is central to the plan and is being developed with the capability to deliver up to 100 tons of cargo to the lunar surface. Through on-orbit propellant transfer, Starship could transport large payloads, including habitats, rovers and heavy construction equipment, to support sustainable, long-term settlements, particularly near the lunar south pole.

However, turning the ambitious vision into reality presents significant technical challenges. NASA is already working with SpaceX on a Starship Human Landing System for upcoming Artemis missions, but the technology required to refuel Starship in orbit remains a major hurdle.

To reach the Moon with a full payload, Starship would need to rendezvous with orbital propellant depots and receive additional fuel before beginning its lunar journey. Government reports and analysts indicate that this could require 11 or more consecutive tanker launches for a single mission. NASA has also reported delays related to the development of the required in-orbit fueling technology.

According to the report, establishing permanent human settlements on the Moon will ultimately depend on developing a reliable, cost-effective and high-frequency launch architecture capable of supporting repeated lunar missions.