Sustainable Life on Mars: Musk's Plan and Conditions

According to American entrepreneur Elon Musk, at least 100,000 volunteers are needed to establish a sustainable colony on the Red Planet — Mars. He made this statement on the social media platform X during a discussion with Ars Technica journalist Eric Berger. Although Berger expressed doubts about the capabilities of the Starship spacecraft, he acknowledged that it remains the only vehicle currently capable of transporting humans beyond Earth’s orbit.

Musk, however, stated that he believes in the success of the Starship project and already sees a clear roadmap for the colonization of other planets.

In his view, merely landing on Mars is not enough. It is necessary to build an autonomous living environment, create suitable living conditions, and develop a functioning society. For this, at least 100,000 people will be needed — only then can the colony be truly self-sustaining.

Additionally, at least one million tons of equipment and resources will need to be transported from Earth to Mars. According to Musk, the Martian community must be able to survive and grow even if supplies from Earth are cut off. He emphasized that this is the critical threshold that must be crossed for Mars colonization to become a reality.