occupymars.club
We are the generation that will make humanity a multi-planetary species. Track every mission, join the community, and count down to our future on the Red Planet.
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Based on official NASA and international space agency projections
Mission Tracker
NASA (United States)
NASA's Moon to Mars program uses Artemis lunar missions as a stepping stone. The Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft validate deep-space capabilities. Human Mars missions are targeted for the 2030s under the Earth Independent phase of their Journey to Mars plan.
Active DevelopmentSpaceX (United States)
The fully reusable Starship super heavy-lift vehicle is designed to carry 100+ tonnes to Mars. Plans include uncrewed cargo flights followed by crewed missions during optimal 26-month launch windows. Goal: establish a self-sustaining colony through mass-produced spacecraft.
Active DevelopmentCNSA (China)
Following the successful Tianwen-1 orbiter and Zhurong rover landing in 2021, China's space agency has announced plans for crewed Mars missions targeting approximately 2033, with nuclear-powered spacecraft concepts under development.
Planned 2033ESA (Europe)
The European Space Agency's long-term Aurora programme includes eventual human exploration of Mars. The ExoMars program builds expertise in Mars landing and surface operations. Human missions are under study for the 2040s timeframe.
Concept PhaseISRO (India)
After the historic Mangalyaan mission in 2014 — India's first interplanetary mission and the first successful Mars orbit insertion on a maiden attempt — ISRO is developing follow-up missions building toward eventual crewed deep-space capabilities.
Concept PhaseUAE Space Agency
The UAE's ambitious 100-year plan aims to build the first human settlement on Mars by 2117. The Emirates Mars Mission Hope orbiter (2021) studies the Martian atmosphere and climate as an early scientific foundation.
Long-term VisionHistory
Six decades of robotic pioneers paving the way for humans
First successful flyby of Mars. Returned 22 close-up photographs revealing a cratered surface. (NASA)
First soft landing on Mars (Soviet Union). Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit Mars the same year. (NASA/USSR)
First successful long-duration landers on Mars. Conducted biology experiments searching for signs of life. Operated for years on the surface. (NASA)
First rover to operate on Mars. Demonstrated low-cost landing technology. Sojourner explored for 83 Martian sols. (NASA)
Twin NASA rovers designed for 90-sol missions. Spirit operated until 2010. Opportunity far exceeded expectations, operating for nearly 15 years and traveling over 45 km across the Martian surface. Both found definitive mineralogical evidence that liquid water once existed on Mars.
NASA lander touched down near Mars' north pole. Confirmed the presence of subsurface water ice by directly observing ice sublimating in a trench. Also detected perchlorate salts in Martian soil — a key finding for future agriculture and habitability research.
NASA's car-sized rover delivered to Gale Crater via an innovative sky crane landing system. Still operating in 2026. Discovered ancient habitable lake environments, organic molecules, and seasonal methane fluctuations — raising new questions about potential biological activity.
India's ISRO became the first space agency to reach Mars orbit on its maiden attempt and at a record-low budget of approximately $74 million. The mission studied Martian surface features and atmosphere. The same year, NASA's MAVEN orbiter arrived to study Mars' upper atmosphere and how it lost its water.
NASA's geophysics mission landed on Elysium Planitia. Deployed a seismometer that detected hundreds of 'marsquakes,' revealing Mars has a liquid iron core and providing the first detailed look at Mars' internal structure. Operated until December 2022.
A historic year as three nations reached Mars simultaneously. NASA's Perseverance rover began collecting rock samples for future Earth return and carried MOXIE, which demonstrated extracting oxygen from CO₂. The Ingenuity helicopter achieved the first powered flight on another planet (72 flights total). China's Tianwen-1 delivered the Zhurong rover — China's first Mars surface mission. The UAE's Hope orbiter entered Mars orbit to study climate and weather patterns.
SpaceX continues Starship development with multiple test flights, refining the vehicle designed for Mars cargo and crew delivery. NASA advances Moon-to-Mars architecture through Artemis missions. China confirms crewed Mars mission plans for approximately 2033. International collaboration on Mars Sample Return mission planning continues.
Multiple nations and private organizations are converging on this decade for first human footsteps on Mars. NASA targets human Mars missions under its Earth Independent phase. SpaceX plans fleet-scale Starship launches during 26-month transfer windows. China's CNSA targets crewed landing around 2033. The generation that will make humanity multi-planetary is alive today.
Science
The challenges we must solve to call Mars home
Mars lacks a global magnetic field and has an atmosphere only about 1% as dense as Earth's. Settlers will need protection from galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events — potentially through regolith-covered habitats, water-wall shielding, or electromagnetic deflection systems.
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) enables building with local materials. Martian regolith can be sintered, compressed into bricks, or used as feedstock for 3D printing. Inflatable pressurized modules, underground lava tubes, and ice-dome concepts are all under active research.
The Martian atmosphere is approximately 95% carbon dioxide. NASA's MOXIE instrument aboard the Perseverance rover successfully demonstrated extracting oxygen from atmospheric CO₂. Scaling this technology is essential for breathable air and oxidizer for rocket propellant.
Subsurface water ice has been confirmed at multiple locations on Mars by orbital radar instruments. Water can be extracted by heating ice-bearing regolith. This water is essential for drinking, agriculture, and producing hydrogen fuel through electrolysis.
Controlled-environment agriculture using hydroponics, aeroponics, and LED lighting will be required. Martian regolith contains perchlorates (toxic salts) that must be removed before agricultural use. Supplemental protein sources may include algae cultures and cellular agriculture.
Current chemical propulsion (methane/liquid oxygen engines) enables Mars transit in approximately 6–9 months. Nuclear thermal propulsion concepts could reduce this to 3–4 months. Producing return propellant on Mars via the Sabatier reaction (CO₂ + H₂ → CH₄ + H₂O) is key to mission sustainability.
Pioneers
The visionaries driving humanity's journey — past, present, and future
Father of Mars Mission Design
Published 'Das Marsprojekt' (The Mars Project) in 1952 — the first technically detailed study for a crewed Mars expedition. Led development of the Saturn V rocket that took humans to the Moon.
Planetary Science Visionary
Astronomer and science communicator who championed Mars exploration. Contributed to the Mariner and Viking mission teams. Inspired generations to look toward the stars through Cosmos.
Founder, The Mars Society
Aerospace engineer who proposed Mars Direct in 1990 — a practical, lower-cost architecture for crewed Mars missions using in-situ propellant production. Founded The Mars Society in 1998 to advocate for human exploration.
Founder & CEO, SpaceX
Founded SpaceX in 2002 with the stated goal of enabling human life on Mars. Overseeing development of Starship, designed as a mass-transit system for Mars colonization.
President & COO, SpaceX
Operational leader of SpaceX since 2008. Oversees engineering execution, manufacturing scale-up, and business operations that make Mars-class missions financially viable.
Apollo 11 Astronaut, Mars Advocate
Second human to walk on the Moon during Apollo 11 in 1969. Since retiring from NASA has been a leading advocate for permanent human presence on Mars, proposing the Aldrin Cycler — a spacecraft trajectory that would enable regular Earth–Mars crew transport.
Record-Setting Astronaut & Researcher
NASA's most experienced astronaut, holding the U.S. record for cumulative time in space at 675+ days. Former Chief of the Astronaut Office and a scientific voice for the human factors — physiology, radiation, isolation — that long-duration Mars crews must survive.
Former NASA Chief Scientist
Led NASA's Planetary Science Division for over a decade and served as NASA Chief Scientist through 2022. Championed Mars Sample Return, planetary protection standards, and long-term architecture for eventually sending humans to Mars.