This week, Washington has hosted the Humans to Mars Summit. Here, NASA talked about their ambitious plan to send a team of astronauts on exploration on the Red Planet. This mission should begin in the 2030s and is set to unfold in two phases.

The two phases of the Mars exploration mission

During the first phase, astronauts should be building a Deep Space Gateway (DSG) and start assembling the Deep Space Transport (DST). DSG represents a small space station on the moon’s orbit, while DST is the spacecraft responsible with carrying astronauts to Mars.

During the second phase, the DST should be completed. Then, scientists should perform a mission of verification on Mars, to make sure the crew can start the mission and land safely on the surface of the Red Planet.

NASA is planning a second mission around the moon’s orbit

However, NASA has more plans before the onset of phase 2. After the DSG is ready, they want to send a manned mission on the space station orbiting around the moon. This mission is set to last for approximately a year, and it will probably be launched in 2027.

In fact, the purpose of the DSG is to test the technology prepared for the Martian exploration. The small space station will contain different kinds of equipment, such as an airlock, a power bus, or a habitat which extends the crew time. During phase 1, four crewed missions will transport the equipment to the DSG.

This mini space station will also serve as the launching site of the DST, as well as a possible platform where it might be reassembled. More precisely, the one-year long manned mission on the moon’s orbit is meant to verify if this vehicle can perform the Mars journey.

Also, if this mission is successful, then NASA would know how to prepare for the ambitious 1,000-day long journey towards the Red Planet.

Image Source: JSC Features