During a television interview on Wednesday, Elon Musk stated his ambition to transport "tens of thousands" of people to lunar bases within the next ten years. He acknowledged this is a staggering figure, noting that "only about a dozen people have been to the moon so far."

He expressed the company's goal of sending astronauts to the moon within the next two to three years, followed by a "rapid expansion from there," ultimately enabling "any member of the public who wants to go to the moon and Mars" to do so. Musk outlined the ultimate objective of constructing a "completely self-sustaining city, like a true city" on the moon, where people could live permanently or vacation.

Musk noted that transporting humans to Mars will be more challenging due to the lengthy travel time. However, the SpaceX CEO still projected the company will land the first humans on Mars within the next five years, and then "hopefully" send thousands of people there within the next ten to twelve years.

Musk also pledged to expand the space data center, another goal proposed by his company. He claimed SpaceX will launch its first "artificial intelligence satellites" next year, with a large-scale deployment following within two years.

However, Musk's past predictions have frequently missed their mark, including repeated, overly optimistic promises to return humans to the moon or establish a colony on Mars. A survey indicates that as early as 2011, he predicted humans would land on Mars within a decade, a claim he has repeated at least 19 times in interviews and on social media over the years. In 2017, he announced SpaceX planned to begin flying private citizens around the moon in 2018—a plan that ultimately did not materialize.

According to an S-1 filing from SpaceX, Musk is set to receive 1 billion shares in the company if its valuation reaches $7.5 trillion and it establishes a colony on Mars with at least 1 million residents. Analysts have expressed skepticism about this lucrative compensation package, with one previously stating that the cost of sustaining a Martian colony could erode profits from the company's Starlink internet satellite business.