Musk said he Will Congratulate Bezos’ Blue Origin if it Lands on the Moon before SpaceX

SpaceX is signaling a strategic shift away from headline lunar milestones toward building permanent, large-scale infrastructure on the moon.

Elon Musk has signaled a reframing of SpaceX’s role in the renewed lunar race, saying the company is willing to lose the symbolism of being first to the moon if it helps secure what he now calls the more important prize: establishing a permanent, self-sustaining human settlement on the lunar surface.

In a post on X on Monday, Musk said he would congratulate Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin if it lands on the moon before SpaceX. The remark was notable not for its sportsmanship, but for what it revealed about SpaceX’s evolving priorities as competition intensifies among private space companies.

“What really matters for the future is being able to land millions of tons of equipment and people to build a self-growing city on the moon,” Musk wrote. “In this respect, perhaps we are more the tortoise than the hare for now.”

The comment came in response to a post by Bezos, who shared a black-and-white image of a tortoise earlier in the day. The imagery echoed the familiar tortoise-and-hare fable and was widely interpreted as a subtle message in the long-running rivalry between the two billionaires. Bezos has often positioned Blue Origin as methodical and patient, in contrast to SpaceX’s faster, more aggressive development style.

For years, Musk and Bezos have sparred over the future of human spaceflight, both publicly and behind the scenes. SpaceX has long been associated with Musk’s vision of colonizing Mars, while Blue Origin has consistently argued that the moon is humanity’s most logical next destination. Musk’s latest comments suggest that SpaceX’s own thinking has shifted closer to Bezos’ long-held position, at least in the near term.

Over the weekend, Musk confirmed that SpaceX has moved its primary focus to the moon, citing feasibility and timelines. In another post on X, he said a self-sustaining lunar city could potentially be achieved in under 10 years, while a comparable settlement on Mars would take more than two decades. He added that while Mars remains part of SpaceX’s long-term plan, the moon now offers a faster route to building an off-world civilization.

This represents a sharp turn from Musk’s earlier stance. As recently as January last year, he dismissed the moon outright, saying, “We’re going straight to Mars. The moon is a distraction.” The reversal underscores how SpaceX’s strategy continues to evolve as technical constraints, funding realities, and competitive pressures change.

Operationally, SpaceX remains deeply engaged in lunar planning. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the company has told investors it is targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed lunar landing. That timeline places SpaceX squarely in competition with Blue Origin and other players, even as Musk downplays the importance of who arrives first.

Musk has also sought to clarify how the moon fits into SpaceX’s broader interplanetary roadmap. In a separate post on Sunday, he said SpaceX would continue launching missions directly from Earth to Mars where possible, rather than using the moon as a staging point. He cited limited fuel availability on the moon as a constraint, suggesting that lunar operations are being designed primarily for settlement and industry, not as a refueling hub for Mars missions.

Bezos, by contrast, has consistently framed the moon as a practical and strategic destination. He has argued that its proximity to Earth and relatively milder conditions make it better suited for sustained human and industrial activity. In 2019, he mocked the idea of living on Mars, saying spending a year on the summit of Mount Everest would be far more hospitable. During a Blue Origin presentation for its Blue Moon project, a slide on Mars was bluntly titled “FAR, FAR AWAY,” underlining his skepticism of Musk’s Mars-first rhetoric.

Even so, Blue Origin’s progress has been slower than its own early projections. The company previously said it aimed to reach the moon by 2023, a target it did not meet. Its deliberate pace has often been contrasted with SpaceX’s rapid launch cadence and willingness to iterate in public, even when failures occur.

Musk’s “tortoise” comment appears to acknowledge that SpaceX is now prioritizing depth over speed. Rather than focusing on a single landing, the company is framing success as the ability to deliver massive payloads repeatedly, build infrastructure, and sustain human presence over time. That approach aligns with SpaceX’s heavy investment in Starship, a fully reusable vehicle designed to move unprecedented amounts of cargo and people beyond Earth.

For the broader space industry, the exchange between Musk and Bezos highlights a deeper shift in the conversation. The emphasis is moving away from symbolic firsts toward questions of logistics, supply chains, and long-term viability. Landing on the moon may still capture headlines, but the company that demonstrates it can stay, build, and expand is likely to shape the next phase of lunar exploration.