Musk’s Vision and the New Focus

Musk said SpaceX has already shifted focus to establishing what he called a “self-growing city” on the Moon, intending this to be the most practical way to “secure the future of civilisation” by expanding humanity beyond Earth. He contrasted lunar travel, which can happen every 10 days and takes about two days to complete, with Mars travel windows that occur every 26 months, requiring roughly six months in transit. 

According to Musk, the lunar city project retains the broader SpaceX mission of expanding human consciousness and life off Earth while also postponing full commitment to Mars settlement. He said SpaceX still plans to begin work on a Martian city in about five to seven years, but the immediate priority is the Moon because it can be achieved faster. 

What “Self-Growing” Could Mean

Musk and his team have used the term “self-growing” to imply a settlement that can gradually expand on its own once initial infrastructure is in place. This typically refers to systems that could produce essential resources locally, such as power, oxygen, and perhaps food, reducing reliance on Earth for supplies. Details on how this would work in practice have not been laid out in full technical depth, and Musk offered few specifics beyond the ambitious timeline and conceptual goals. 

This plan also ties into Musk’s broader interest in using space for advanced infrastructure, including launching satellites from the Moon and potentially building space-based data centres connected to artificial intelligence initiatives. 

Skepticism and Challenges

Experts in space science and engineering have expressed caution about the feasibility of a lunar city in a decade, even with reusable rockets like SpaceX’s Starship, which remains under development. Building any permanent human presence on the Moon involves massive challenges including radiation protection, sustaining life with limited local resources, creating reliable habitats, and establishing industrial capability in a harsh environment. 

Some analysts point out that Musk’s timelines have historically been optimistic, with previous projections for human Mars missions slipping repeatedly. Establishing a functioning lunar settlement by 2036 would require not only breakthroughs in technology but also sustained investment, international cooperation, and solutions to logistics that have so far only been tested in theory. 

Strategic and Geopolitical Context

Musk’s pivot to the Moon comes at a time when governments and private companies are intensifying efforts to return to the lunar surface. NASA’s Artemis programme aims to land astronauts on the Moon and establish a long-term presence, and rival commercial ventures such as Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin are also advancing lunar landers and infrastructure plans. China and Russia are collaborating on their own lunar research station. These geopolitical dynamics add further momentum to lunar exploration but also raise questions about regulatory frameworks, resource rights, and global cooperation. 

Broader Ethical and Economic Considerations

A city on the Moon also opens debates about cost versus benefit. Space exploration historically requires huge investment, and critics argue those funds might be more urgently needed on Earth. Proponents counter that lunar development could drive innovation, create new industries, and serve as a stepping stone to solar system-wide human presence.

There is also ethical discussion about who would live in such a settlement, how resources would be shared, and what governance models would apply far from Earth’s legal and social systems.

Conclusion

Elon Musk’s proposal to build a lunar city in less than a decade is emblematic of his ambitious and often controversial approach to space exploration. While the idea energises imaginations and fuels competition in lunar development, substantial technical, financial, and social challenges remain. Whether SpaceX’s vision becomes a reality by 2036 will depend not just on Musk’s drive, but on broad scientific progress, international cooperation, and pragmatic problem-solving in one of the most hostile environments humans have ever attempted to inhabit.

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You might remember seeing Elon Musk smoking a joint on Joe Rogan’s podcast, so he has made his stance on the plant very clear – and amidst growing global legalisation, it is unsurprising that SpaceX is pushing for more research on a “universal” level. Hemp is a federally legal strain of cannabis that’s used in a variety of ways, including CBD (obviously), in clothing, shoes, rope, and more. It has an extremely low level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which means it can’t produce the psychoactive effects common in marijuana and has a positive effect on the environment, violence reduction and collective health.

With already tonnes of agricultural and environmental benefits, sending hemp and coffee cell cultures to space will likely have an important and profound effect on our broader understanding of the plants. Most of all, the scientists want to know whether space in some way materially affects the plants and how they can be used or genetically modified in the future to serve humankind.

To achieve some real insight, the plants need to be in space for 30 days. The scientists are sending 480 plant cultures into orbit and then evaluating the plants when they return to the planet. 

For its part, SpaceX is acting as little more than the courier, bringing the plants to and from space. The researchers were quick to note, however, that if their efforts are successful, many more plant-based trials will be conducted aboard SpaceX vehicles to develop hardier plants.

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I had this idea in my head for about four months as an idea – particularly the theme of duality between Nik and NEO 10Y – a narrative that has been running through my mind for the entirety of this project. Lots of you know how much this project has saved me, I managed to dial into my biggest regret in life – never creating music of my own and I am really grateful to the universe for allowing me to build this in the most honest way that I could. Double, as a track, obviously lends itself perfectly to this, so I spent the entire Summer growing out my hair and beard to give the effect of being in solitary confinement on Mars. I also really wanted to prove with this film that I can nail the two personalities and essentially distill them from my mind, so that you can experience what goes on in my head.

In the most raw sense, NEO 10Y saved me, and music and writing continues to save me emotionally – this is reflected in the narrative. Double is about that as a song too – there’s political references in all of the verses and hopefully relatable personal references that resonate throughout the chorus – ‘Dirt Cobain’ being a fictional character trait that has made various appearances in my work.

I have to epically thank my friend and colleague Alex Lord for his cinematography and editing skills on this, it really wouldn’t have been possible without him. We spent hours and hours on post and even though the filming day was super fun – with artist and friend Ava Fersi playing my arm double and the incredible Stefan Avanzato who is Master Barber at Dolce & Gabbana for shaving my head on filming day – something I was definitely ready for after months of growing it out. On a side note, I wanted to shave my head and regrow it all with plant power only, it already feels so much healthier because of the good karma.

So that you don’t need to do a frame by frame – unless you really want to – here are some of the screen caps from the intro featuring cameos by Sophia The Robot, Elon Musk/Space X and #45, think of it as a sequel to The Kid That Killed Tr*mp.

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