NASA’s Crew working closely with Boeing and SpaceX this year as each company works toward flight tests.
NASA aims to extend human presence deeper into the solar system and to the surface of Mars. In doing so, our human and robotic explorers will expand knowledge and discover the potential for life beyond Earth. Our goal is not bound by a single destination. We seek the capacity for people to work, learn, operate, and sustainably live safely beyond Earth for extended periods of time. We will achieve this goal with a growing number of international and commercial partners, realizing economic benefits and strengthening America’s leadership on Earth and in space.
As pioneers, we seek to blaze the trail for others, establishing a presence that leads to economic progress and broad societal benefit. We pioneer space to discover life, identify resources, foster economic growth, inspire and educate, protect ourselves from space-based threats, and leave a better future for the next generation. This goal is embodied in the idea of a human and robotic journey to Mars. It is time for the next steps, and the agency is actively developing the capabilities that will enable humans to thrive beyond Earth for extended periods of time, leading to a sustainable presence in deep space.
An artist’s concept illustrates what the Mars rover Curiosity will look like on the Red Planet.
NASA’s efforts build upon the proven international and commercial partnerships at the core of the ISS. Our activities align with the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER), a product of 12 space agencies committed to expanding human presence in space. We will continue to build on partnerships with U.S. industry, academia, and our stakeholders. Our partners are developing technologies, systems, and missions to meet individual objectives, such as lunar surface operations, while contributing to the journey to Mars. The commonality between exploration capabilities, related scientific investigations, and the range of potential activities, allows partners to target individual objectives while working together to achieve pioneering goals.
While far away, Mars is a goal within our reach. We are closer to sending humans to Mars than at any point in NASA’s history. We will journey in phases, leveraging our experience on the space station to step out into the Proving Ground of cislunar space—the volume of space around the moon featuring multiple stable staging orbits for future deep space missions. Over the next decade, NASA and our partners will use this Proving Ground to practice deep-space operations with decreasing reliance on the Earth, gaining the experience and systems necessary to make pioneering space and the journey to Mars a reality.