Global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has started their campaign for a "Mars Base Camp," which is focused on sending humans to live on Mars by the year 2028...just over a decade away.
Through a concept video, Lockheed Martin showed plans on how they would transport astronauts from Earth to a science laboratory that orbits Mars. In this lab, the astronauts will be able to perform scientific studies in order to locate a suitable surface on Mars for humans to live.
The proposed Mars Base Camp is said to have four key elements. First is the Orion, a section containing life support, communication, and navigation systems. Second is the Space Launch Pad, which delivers supplies to Mars. Third is the Habitats ,which will serve as the astronauts' living and working spaces. Last is the Solar Electric Propulsion, which will help position key supplies into Mars' orbit.
Lockheed Martin sees the launching of the Mars Base Camp into orbit by the year 2028, so that by the 2030s, human landing missions can follow.
Of course, this will be no easy task. The company will need to develop an interplanetary transport vehicle, surface habitats, life support systems, and more (like, a lot more). But with so many working on bringing humanity to Mars (NASA and SpaceX, just to name two), it is likely we will get there in the next few decades at least.
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