Elon Musk’s ambition to one day establish a settlement on Mars appears to have been relegated to a closer, more attainable goal: sending humans to live on the Moon.

In a statement on X this Sunday, the billionaire said that his company, SpaceX, has now shifted its priorities to push for the construction of “a self-sustaining city on the Moon,” arguing that this could be achieved in less than a decade—compared to a similar plan for Mars, which would take more than 20 years.

“The top priority is to secure the future of civilization, and the Moon is faster,” he declared on X this Sunday. “Travel to Mars is only possible when the planets align every 26 months (a six-month travel time), whereas we can travel to the Moon every 10 days (a two-day travel time).”