And Musk's focus on Mars as the next destination for humanity after low Earth orbit should come as no surprise; the billionaire has long had the Red Planet in his sights. In a December X post, for example, he dismissed the moon as "a distraction," saying that "we're going straight to Mars."

Elon Musk continues to push the idea that it’s time to deorbit the International Space Station and shift focus toward the Red Planet. “It has served its purpose,” the billionaire SpaceX founder wrote on his social media platform X. “There is very little incremental utility. Let’s go to Mars.”