14 DAY TRIAL // Officials with private space company Mars One unveiled new plans for exploring the Red Planet on Tuesday, December 10, which call for landing a robot on the surface of our neighboring world in 2018.
Mars One also announces that it was able to secure its lead suppliers for the robotic mission. A manned mission is scheduled to launch aboard a Falcon Heavy delivery system developed by Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), probably around 2024.
The California company may also provide a special version of its Dragon spacecraft for the mission, the so-called Mars One Dragon. This capsule would have a base diameter of 5 meters (16 feet) and a volume of around 25 cubic meters (880 cubic feet). It will be able to carry 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) of cargo on its trip to Mars.
But before the company can put astronauts on Mars, it must first explore the planet via robots. This is the purpose of the 2018 mission, which consists of a lander and a communication satellite, to be built by Lockheed Martin, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL), respectively.
The upcoming mission will basically be a demonstrator of various proof-of-concept technologies that the company wants to employ for setting up permanent human settlements on Mars, which is the main objective of this non-profit foundation.
“We’re very excited to have contracted Lockheed Martin and SSTL for our first mission to Mars. Both are significant players in their field of expertise and have outstanding track records,” says the co-founder of Mars One, Bas Lansdorp.
“These will be the first private spacecraft to Mars and their successful arrival and operation will be a historic accomplishment,” adds the official, who is also the CEO of the foundation.
Lockheed Martin engineers plan to base their designs for the new lander of the Phoenix spacecraft they built for a 2007 NASA mission to the Red Planet. The company has thus far participated in more than 90 percent of all American exploration efforts aimed at Mars.
“This will be the first private mission to Mars and Lockheed Martin is very excited to have been contracted by Mars One. This is an ambitious project and we’re already working on the mission concept study, starting with the proven design of Phoenix,” comments the Civil Space chief engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Ed Sedivy.
“Having managed the Phoenix spacecraft development, I can tell you, landing on Mars is challenging and a thrill and this is going to be a very exciting mission,” the official concludes.