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The John Batchelor Show

S8 Ep676: PREVIEW FOR LATER. Douglas Messier explains Elon Musk’s strategic shift from Mars exploration toward NASA’s lunar missions. Driven by funding and contracts, SpaceX focuses on developing the reusable Super Heavy and Starship for moon landings. (5)

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2026

⏱️ 2 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

PREVIEW FOR LATER. Douglas Messier explains Elon Musk’s strategic shift from Mars exploration toward NASA’s lunar missions. Driven by funding and contracts, SpaceX focuses on developing the reusable Super Heavy and Starship for moon landings. (5)
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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, it's Zoe Ball and Joe Wiley here from the Digit podcast, and we're currently sponsored by the Woodland Trust.

0:06.6

The Woodland Trust lets you dedicate a tree, a bench, even a whole area of woodland in someone's name.

0:14.4

Plus, all of the Woodland Trust's sites are free to visit, so you can go and see it any time.

0:19.5

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0:21.9

dedication directly supports the Woodland Trust's vital work. So if Woods are your happy place or

0:27.1

theirs, this is just a beautiful way to celebrate a birthday, a wedding anniversary, anything really.

0:33.1

Visit woodlandtrust.org.org.org slash dig it. Full terms and conditions can be found on the Woodland Trust website.

0:41.5

This is John Batchelor.

0:43.7

Comments by Douglas Messier, my colleague, about Elon Musk's involvement in SpaceX

0:49.4

and why Elon Musk switched from Mars, which was the inspiration for many years of development of SpaceX, to the moon.

0:59.7

Doug makes a very, very straightforward Hollywood explanation, follow the money.

1:04.5

Here's Doug Messier to explain the new Elon Musk and SpaceX, and the challenge ahead for moon landing, which was never

1:12.9

part of Musk's presentation for many years.

1:16.9

More tonight.

1:18.4

I think he's hanging back, from what I've heard, that he's not as involved with SpaceX as

1:24.2

he used to be.

1:25.2

Right.

1:25.9

I guess he's got all these other things.

1:28.5

You know, I think he goes where the money is,

1:30.9

and the money is that NASA is going to establish a lunar base,

1:36.5

and also that they have a contract with NASA to fulfill for a lunar lander.

1:45.4

And that's unfortunately what happened with that contract is that instead of having a

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