Mission Architecture Using the SpaceX Starship Vehicle to Enable a Sustained Human Presence on Mars

Abstract

A main goal of human space exploration is to develop humanity into a multi-planet species where civilization extends beyond planet Earth. Establishing a self-sustaining human presence on Mars is key to achieving this goal. In situ resource utilization (ISRU) on Mars is a critical component to enabling humans on Mars to both establish long-term outposts and become self-reliant. This article focuses on a mission architecture using the SpaceX Starship as cargo and crew vehicles for the journey to Mars. The first Starships flown to Mars will be uncrewed and will provide unprecedented opportunities to deliver ∼100 metric tons of cargo to the martian surface per mission and conduct robotic precursor work to enable a sustained and self-reliant human presence on Mars. We propose that the highest priority activities for early uncrewed Starships include pre-placement of supplies, developing infrastructure, testing of key technologies, and conducting resource prospecting to map and characterize water ice for future ISRU purposes.

The Age and Erosion Rate of Young Sedimentary Rock on Mars

“…In addition to liquid water, through the reaction CO 2 + 2 H 2 O  CH 4 + 2 O 2 , water would also be useful for producing methane propellant. Producing propellant on Mars will be important in order to return a crew from the surface of Mars, since it is unlikely that the crew would be able to carry all of the propellant that they need with them from Earth (Ash et al 1978;Rapp 2013;Heldmann et al 2021). As a result, further investigations of potential subsurface ice tables in the equatorial and midlatitude regions of Mars will be key for future human missions (e.g., Morgan et al 2021).…”

Equivalent in-plane elastic moduli of honeycomb materials under hypergravity conditions

“…As scientific and technological advancements unfold, humankind persistently seeks groundbreaking developments in sophisticated fields such as space exploration and interstellar travel. SpaceX has risen as a pioneering force in the realm of commercial space endeavours [34], championing ambitious projects such as the Starlink satellite network [35] and the Mars-oriented Starship program [36], with the ultimate aim of realizing transformative breakthroughs that substantially influence the future trajectory of human civilization. Concurrently, the European Space Agency has unveiled the ESA Agenda 2025, delineating a series of critical challenges inherent in space exploration [37].…”

Thermodynamic modeling of in-situ rocket propellant fabrication on Mars

“…NASA hopes to set up an in-situ propellant production on Mars that can leverage local conditions to refuel 7 metric tons of liquid methane and 22 metric tons of liquid oxygen in 16 months ( Leucht, 2018 ). In comparison, the SpaceX Starships that could carry humans to Mars and back would need to be refueled with 267 metric tons of liquid methane and 933 metric tons of liquid oxygen ( Heldmann et al., 2021 ).…”

“…As stated by Pickett et al. (2020) and Heldmann et al. (2021) , water recovered in situ will likely require a purification process to remove contaminants and biological material.…”