Study Says 1 Million-Person Moon City Would Drain Lunar Water in 2 Years
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Sep 15
Study Says 1 Million-Person Moon City Would Drain Lunar Water in 2 Years
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Sep 15
Summary
A new Frontiers in Space Technologies study found a 1 million-person lunar city would consume the Moon’s estimated water supply in a little over two years, challenging Elon Musk’s plan for a self-growing Moon city within 10 years.
Researchers based that result on roughly 600 million metric tons of ice in permanently shadowed polar craters, and said even a more generous 1 billion-ton assumption supports only a few years of large-scale habitation.
At 98% recycling efficiency—the level used on the International Space Station—the same city could stretch supplies to just over a century, while a smaller settlement of 1,000 to 10,000 people could last several centuries.
The paper says a full-scale Moon city may be unrealistic unless explorers find more water, cut usage, improve recycling further, or import supplies from nearby asteroids.