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Elon Musk Wants a ‘Self-Growing City’ on the Moon Within 10 Years: Does the Moon Have Enough Water for a City of Millions?
Researchers say the Moon’s ice could support only a small settlement, while a city of more than 1 million would run out in a little over two years.
- A recent study in Frontiers in Space Technologies found that a city of over 1 million people would exhaust the Moon's water supply in just over two years, challenging CEO Elon Musk's promise to build a 'self-growing city' within 10 years.
- Scientists believe the Moon's water is trapped as ice in permanently shadowed polar craters, called 'pits of eternal darkness,' where temperatures reach-260 degrees Fahrenheit, preventing evaporation and preserving reserves estimated at around 1.3 trillion pounds.
- Even with 98% recycling efficiency—matching the International Space Station—researchers estimate a city of 1 million would exhaust available water in just over a century, extending but not resolving the sustainability challenge.
- Astronomer Martin Elvis of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory found that smaller habitats housing 1,000 to 10,000 people could remain sustainable for several centuries, suggesting full-scale cities on the Moon may not be feasible.
- Researchers propose potential solutions including importing water from nearby asteroids, improving recycling efficiency beyond current levels, or lowering water consumption through new techniques to sustain larger lunar settlements.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
Moon colonization could fail on the water: Study shows why millions of cities on the moon cannot survive in the long term.
·Munich, Germany
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Elon Musk wants a ‘self-growing city’ on the Moon within 10 years: Does the Moon have enough water for a city of millions?
Trending News: A city on the Moon that grows by itself, produces its own resources, and eventually houses millions of people: this idea sounds like pure science fict.
·India
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Can humanity live on the moon? Yes, says Jonathan McDowell – but for expansion into space it takes electricity and water. The astronomer calculated whether there was enough of it.
·Hamburg, Germany
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Center
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources are Center
63% Center
L 25%
C 63%
12%
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