Lansdorp received his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Twente in 2003.

He worked for five years on his PhD in wind energy at Delft University of Technology. In 2008 he dropped his studies to found Ampyx Power in order to develop a more up to date method of generating wind energy. Ampyx Power was a success and it produced a cheaper than coal method of producing wind energy. In 2011, he sold his Ampyx Power shares so he could fund Mars One.

In 2008, Lansdorp founded Ampyx Power with Richard Ruiterkamp in order to create a more modern and efficient way to harvest wind energy. He was involved in the design process of new aircraft and project overview from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, he sold his shares in the company in order to found Mars One.

Until 2013, he allegedly financed almost the entire project himself. There are two entities to the Mars One: Mars One Foundation and Mars One Ventures. Mars One is non-profit and funded by donations. Mars One implements and manages the mission, trains astronauts, owns the hardware, etc. Mars One Ventures is a for-profit entity of Mars One and holds exclusive monetization rights around the mission. Revenue from the monetization is expected to increase as the venture progresses.

On 28 December 2013, Lansdorp did an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit and had to face much criticism and skepticism about Mars One. He responded to the criticism positively, he said “Since we started Mars One in March 2011, we received support from scientists, engineers, businessmen and –women and aerospace companies from all over the world. The announcement of our plan in May 2012 resulted in the engagement of the general public, and the support from sponsors and investors. To see our mission evolve this way feels like my dream is becoming a reality.”.