// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Mars
The fourth planet from the Sun, known as the 'Red Planet' due to its reddish appearance. It has a thin atmosphere and polar ice caps.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Mars is the fourth terrestrial planet from the Sun, characterized by its reddish iron oxide surface, polar ice caps, thin atmosphere, and geological features suggesting past liquid water, making it a primary target for astrobiological exploration.
BACKGROUND
The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940s as part of the broader exploration of Mars. Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the planet. Currently, only robotic landers, rovers and a helicopter have been on Mars. As of 2026, the farthest humans have been beyond Earth is the Moon and its vicinity, with the lunar flights of the Apollo program from 1968 to 1972 and the Artemis II lunar flyby in 2026, both of which were operated by NASA.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Red Planet
- Ares
USAGE NOTE
Mars is a prime candidate for future human colonization and extensive scientific research into past or present life.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Mars.
An aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company developing the Starship launch system, a fully reusable vehicle designed for transporting crew and cargo to Mars with the long-term goal of establishing a self-sustaining human colony.
The United States' civil space agency responsible for numerous robotic missions to Mars, including the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, the Ingenuity helicopter, and various orbiters. NASA is actively developing technologies for future human missions to Mars through its Moon to Mars program.
A federally funded research and development center managed by Caltech for NASA. JPL is the leading U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system, having designed and managed most of NASA's Mars rovers and landers, and is a key partner in the Mars Sample Return mission.
An intergovernmental organization of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. ESA operates the ExoMars program, which includes the Trace Gas Orbiter and the upcoming Rosalind Franklin rover, and is a major partner with NASA on the Mars Sample Return mission.
A major aerospace and defense contractor that has built numerous spacecraft and instruments for NASA's Mars missions, including the MAVEN and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, and the aeroshells and heat shields for landers like InSight and Perseverance.
The national space agency of China, which successfully executed the Tianwen-1 mission, placing an orbiter, lander, and the Zhurong rover on Mars in 2021. CNSA has plans for future Mars missions, including a sample-return mission.
An aerospace manufacturing company developing rockets using 3D printing. Their long-term vision is to establish an industrial base on Mars, with the goal of eventually 3D-printing an entire rocket on the planet.
A launch service and space systems company that built the twin Photon spacecraft for NASA's ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission, which will orbit Mars to study its unique hybrid magnetosphere.