Space Colony Planner
Design your off-world settlement
Design a space colony from scratch — choose your destination (Moon, Mars, asteroid belt), colony size, life support systems, energy sources, and mission timeline. See resource requirements, survival odds, and sustainability metrics. Use the planner to balance trade-offs between population size, power generation, food production, and radiation shielding. Each decision affects your colony's long-term survival score.
💡 NASA estimates a minimal Mars base would require at least 22 tonnes of life support equipment and consume 300 kW of continuous power — roughly 300 average US homes.
Where will you build?
Each location has unique resources and challenges
Frequently asked questions
How much would a Mars colony cost?
Independent NASA studies estimate a small four-person Mars surface base would cost between $100 and $500 billion across initial development, transport and the first decade of operations. SpaceX's Starship architecture aims to lower the marginal cost of cargo to Mars to a few thousand dollars per kilogram, but life support, habitats and crew rotation remain the dominant expenses.
What does a self-sustaining space colony need?
At minimum: pressurised habitats with radiation shielding, redundant life-support (oxygen, CO2 scrubbing, water recycling), reliable power (typically nuclear or large solar arrays), agricultural systems, in-situ resource utilisation for water and propellant, and crew sized large enough — usually estimated at 100+ people — to maintain skills and genetic diversity.
Is the Moon or Mars easier to colonize?
The Moon is closer (3 days vs. 6–9 months) and easier for resupply, but its 14-day nights and lack of atmosphere make power and thermal management hard. Mars has a thin CO2 atmosphere usable for fuel production, water ice and a 24.6-hour day, but the long communication delay and harsh dust storms add complexity. Most planners now treat the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars.
How much power does a space colony need?
NASA estimates a four-person surface base needs about 40 kW of continuous electrical power — roughly 30 average US homes. A 1,000-person settlement scales to 10 MW or more, which is why most architecture studies pair small modular fission reactors with solar arrays and battery storage.