<p><strong>Tom Mueller</strong>, the first employee <strong>Elon Musk</strong> hired at <strong>SpaceX</strong> (NASDAQ:SPCX) and now the founder of <strong>Impulse Space</strong>, said the Moon is more important than Mars in the near term because it could become a practical source of raw materials for off-world industry.</p>



<h2>Mueller Makes Case For Lunar Resources</h2>



<p>In an interview segment with Sourcery’s <strong>Molly O’Shea</strong> on Sunday, Mueller said the priority should shift toward establishing a lasting lunar presence. He cited NASA Administrator <strong>Jared Isaacman</strong>, saying Isaacman &#34;said we’re going to build a base on the Moon and stay there.&#34;</p>



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<blockquote><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SpaceX's 1st employee Tom Mueller @lrocket says the Moon is &#34;more important than Mars&#34; in the near term:<br/><br/>&#34;@rookisaacman said we're going to build a base on the Moon and stay there.&#34;<br/><br/>&#34;People are predicting we'll run out of copper in the next few years. Data centers require so… pic.twitter.com/tjPZp959Iq</p>— sourcery (@sourceryy) July 12, 2026</blockquote>
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<p>Mueller tied the case for the Moon to rising demand for metals used in artificial intelligence infrastructure. &#34;People are predicting we’ll run out of copper in the next few years,&#34; he said. &#34;Data centers require so much copper.&#34;</p>



<p>He argued that the raw materials supply chain must eventually expand beyond Earth. &#34;We need to start getting copper from the Moon or from the asteroids,&#34; Mueller said. &#34;There’s an almost infinite supply in our solar system of material—enough to supply us for thousands of years.&#34; He added, &#34;We just gotta get ready to go get it.&#34;</p>



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<h2>Moon Offers Near-Term Industrial Advantages</h2>



<p>The argument reflects a more industrial view of space exploration, where the Moon is not only a scientific target but also a staging ground for construction, mining and energy-intensive computing. Mueller has made a similar case before, telling Space.com that it is roughly 20 times easier, in energy terms, to move material from the Moon to low Earth orbit than from Earth’s surface.</p>



<p>The Moon also offers more frequent mission opportunities than Mars. Musk said in February that SpaceX had shifted focus toward building a &#34;self-growing city&#34; on the Moon because it could be achieved in less than 10 years, compared with more than 20 years for Mars.</p>



<h2>Artemis Push Adds Space Race Urgency</h2>



<p>The shift comes as the United States faces growing competition from China. Isaacman recently called the Moon a proving ground for deeper space goals, saying it is only &#34;four-and-a-half days away&#34; and that a lunar economy will eventually include asteroid mining.</p>



<p>NASA’s next major step is Artemis III in 2027, a low-Earth-orbit mission to test Orion’s docking and rendezvous with one or both commercial human landing systems from SpaceX and Blue Origin before Artemis IV attempts a lunar landing.</p>



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<p><em>Image via Shutterstock/ Elena11</em></p>

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<p>Tom Mueller, SpaceX's first hire, argues the Moon is more critical than Mars in the near term due to its potential as a source of raw materials like copper for AI infrastructure. He advocates for establishing a lunar presence to support off-world industry, citing easier transport from the Moon compared to Earth and increasing demand for metals.</p>

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Elon Musk's First SpaceX Hire Tom Mueller Says Moon is ‘More Important Than Mars’ in Near Term For This Key Reason