On May 29th at Starbase, Texas SpaceX CEO and lead designer Elon Musk provided an update of SpaceX's Starship Mars architecture "The Road to Making Life Multiplanetary". Here are slides from his presentation.
Full presentation:
Slides from the presentation
Starship mission timeline for next 4 Earth-Mars transfer windows every 26 months:
The next opportunity is in the end of 2026, with landing in 2027:
Moons of Madness is a first-person cosmic horror adventure game released in 2019. Set in a near-futuristic Martian research outpost, the game blends hard science fiction with Lovecraftian horror, drawing inspiration from works like The Martian and H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos. The narrative follows Shane Newehart, an engineer tasked with maintaining the outpost until a relief team arrives on the transport ship Cyrano. The game’s depiction of the Martian outpost and its pervasive atmosphere of loneliness and abandonment are central to its immersive, unsettling experience.
The Martian outpost, Trailblazer Alpha, is a meticulously designed, state-of-the-art research facility built by the Orochi corporation to investigate a mysterious signal of intelligent origin detected from Mars. The outpost is a believable blend of scientific realism and eerie desolation, featuring functional areas like a greenhouse, infirmary, research labs, and solar panel arrays, all inspired by real-world Mars mission planning. The environment is detailed with personal touches – photo frames, workstations, coffee machines, and sticky notes – that evoke a sense of lived-in habitation, contrasting sharply with the growing sense of decay and neglect. As Shane navigates the base, he encounters malfunctioning systems, such as a flooded greenhouse filled with strange mist, Martian dust leaking into the infirmary, and alien-like, tentacle-covered vines sprawling across corridors, hinting at an otherworldly presence. The stark, rust-colored Martian landscape outside, with its dust clouds and desolate vistas, amplifies the outpost’s isolation, while the interior’s claustrophobic corridors and flickering lights enhance the feeling of being trapped in a failing, abandoned structure.
Shane, with limited security clearance, is unaware of the outpost’s true purpose and isolated from the broader mission, fostering a sense of disconnection from his colleagues and the world. His team’s absence – unexplained as they fail to return from an EVA mission – deepens this solitude, leaving him to face the outpost’s breakdowns alone. The narrative introduces psychological horror through Shane’s hallucinations and visions, possibly tied to his mother’s mysterious disappearance and his own fragile mental state, blurring the line between reality and madness. Cryptic messages, such as “They Never Turn Away!” scrawled on bulletin boards, and encounters with eerie entities like the “Thing in the Mist” intensify the feeling of being watched yet utterly alone. The outpost’s gradual transformation, with alien growths overtaking its once-functional spaces, mirrors Shane’s descent into isolation, as the environment itself seems to reject human presence.
The game’s pacing reinforces these themes, starting with routine tasks like aligning solar panels or repairing rovers, which ground players in Shane’s solitary duties, before escalating into survival against supernatural threats. The lack of combat mechanics heightens vulnerability, forcing players to confront the outpost’s dangers with only their wits, further emphasizing helplessness. While the story’s later plot twists – such as the revelation of Martian technology stabilizing the moons Phobos and Deimos as dormant elder gods – can feel disjointed, the atmosphere of loneliness and abandonment remains consistent, making Trailblazer Alpha a haunting stage for Shane’s unraveling psyche.
Here is a collection of images from the game, focusing on depiction of the Martian base:
Visualization of a concept for terraforming the arid, inhospitable and rust-colored expanses of Mars into habitable regions through a vast network of engineered hydrospheres. The concept envisions carving vast artificial lakes into the planet’s craters and basins, filling them with water sourced from subsurface ice and channeled through a network of canals (after increasing air pressure and temperature on Mars in the prior terraformation stage, allowing water to flow on the planet's surface). These lakes, featuring engineered habitats on artificial islands, would be interconnected to form a sprawling waterway system across the Martian terrain. By introducing liquid water to the surface and gradually transforming the barren landscape into a more habitable environment, this vision seeks to foster the development of self-sustaining colonies on these island habitats, laying the foundation for humanity’s long-term presence on the Red Planet.
The image was originally created in 2010 by Japanese illustrator Tetsuya Mizuno (Watermark) for the futuristic Desert Aqua-Net Plan by Japanese construction firm Shimizu Corporation.
In March, China unveiled an ambitious update to its interplanetary exploration strategy, aiming to establish a robotic research base on Mars by 2038, as part of a broader roadmap to explore the Solar System through 2050. The initiative is managed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
In 2019 China opened Mars Base 1 Camp - a Mars simulation base in Jinchang, Gansu Province
The first Mars-related mission on this roadmap is the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission, already approved and currently scheduled to launch in late 2028, with the aim to deliver samples back on Earth in 2031.
In 2038 China plans to establish a robotic Mars Research Station focused on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and conduct long-term Martian environmental and biological research. While initially robotic, the base’s infrastructure will lay the groundwork for future human habitation, mirroring strategies used for China’s future International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) to be permanently habitable after 2035.
The Moon, a celestial body last visited by humans during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, is once again at the forefront of a new space race. Both the United States and China have outlined ambitious plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish permanent bases, signaling a new era of lunar competition. In recent years China has shown rapid progress in robotic exploration of the Moon, including its far side, but can China actually surpass the US in returning humans to the Moon and establishing a continuous human presence there?
China's Lunar Exploration Program: Plans and Timeline
China's lunar ambitions are encapsulated in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, also known as the Chang'e program, named after the mythical moon goddess. This program has currently progressed through several phases, with the future phases focusing on manned missions and base construction:
Phase 1: Orbiting (2007-2010): Chang'e 1 and 2 successfully orbited the Moon, mapping its surface and testing technologies, laying the groundwork for subsequent missions.
Phase 2: Robotic landing (2013-2019): Chang'e 3 (2013) and Chang'e 4 (2019) achieved soft landings, with Chang'e 4 notably landing on the far side of the Moon, a first in space exploration history.
Phase 3: Sample return (2020-2024): Chang'e 5 (2020) and Chang'e 6 (2024) returned lunar samples, with Chang'e 6 being the first to collect from the far side, enhancing understanding of lunar composition.
Phase 4: Robotic research station (2026-2028): The goal of Phase 4 is the development of an autonomous lunar research station near the Moon's south pole. Chang’e 7 (2026) will survey the south pole for water-ice and test in situ resource utilization (ISRU). Chang’e 8 (2028) will demonstrate advanced technologies including 3D-printed structures and ISRU methods critical for a future habitat.
Phase 5: Manned landing (2029-2030): China's National Space Administration (CNSA) aims to land its first two-person crew on the lunar surface by 2030 (in some recent presentations even 2029), using a Lanyue lander and a Mengzhou re-entry capsule launched by heavy-lift Long March 10 rockets from Hainan’s Wenchang site. Large-scale tests of the lander and capsule systems are “on schedule,” though experts note China still trails NASA in overall crewed lunar infrastructure.
Phase 6: International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) (2035): China aims to establish ILRS in the 2030s, initially as a robotic base, with plans to make it permanently habitable after 2035. The first phase of the lunar base is expected to be completed around 2035, with an extended model by 2050, located near the lunar south pole for access to water ice.
China's technological approach includes leveraging ISRU, such as 3D-printing bricks from lunar soil during the Chang'e 8 mission, which could reduce reliance on Earth-based supplies and enhance sustainability. Research suggests China is also exploring lava tubes as potential habitats, offering natural protection from radiation and micrometeorites.
Here is a poster "Join us on Mars" by Canadian illustrator Jode Thompson created for Jacob Haqq-Misra's article "Liberate the Red Planet" published on Boston Globe.
The poster features a retro-futuristic art style reminiscent of mid-20th-century sci-fi. The composition showcases a vibrant, warm-toned Martian landscape with jagged red rock formations. Silhouetted against this backdrop are two figures in space suits, standing side by side, gazing at the horizon where futuristic, antenna-topped structures hover above the terrain. Bold, stylized text proclaims "Join us on MARS" at the top, with "Apply for Citizenship Today" at the bottom, evoking a sense of adventure and possibility in a new frontier. The poster's textured, slightly distressed finish enhances its vintage aesthetic, blending nostalgia with a vision of interplanetary exploration.
A set of renders for a Mars base model created by Polish 3D artist Zuzanna Skąpska for Mission to Mars AR app, an interactive augmented reality experience allowing users to drive a rover, launch a rocket, and explore the Red Planet. The app was created by Immersion Labs for Smithsonian Institution and with collaboration with NASA.
The Mars base model presents a modular and expandable habitat system intended for human settlement on Mars. It comprises multiple interconnected cylindrical modules, each serving distinct functions such as living quarters, research labs, or storage. The central module, marked with "MARS 2020" and an American flag, serves as the primary living area, equipped with communication equipment and access points for surface operations. Adjacent to this is a domed greenhouse structure, crucial for growing food and supporting human life in the base. The design incorporates protective features against Mars' harsh conditions, including radiation shielding, and allows for future expansion as the base grows.
After the bombardment of Earth Lovell City on Luna (the Moon) became the de facto capital of United Nations, one of the three competing powers in universe of The Expanse TV series - a political sci-fi drama set a few centuries in the future where humans have colonized the entire Solar system. Luna functions as a way station between Earth and the rest of the Solar system, and its spaceport at Lovell City serves as a natural meeting place between residents of the inner planets and Belters. Due to its lower gravity, Luna is the only body in the inner system that Belters can easily visit. UN citizens living on Luna are generally wealthier than most of their counterparts on Earth.
Here is a collection of concept art for the Lovell city by Canadian designer Lee Fitzgerald:
The 7th integrated flight test of SpaceX's Starship rocket is targeted to launch on Thursday, January 16 from Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas. It will be the 1st flight test of a new generation (block 2) Starship with significant upgrades and an attempt of Starship’s 1st payload deployment test. The 60-minute launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. CT.
Here is an infographic of the upcoming flight test by Australian space illustrator Tony Bela:
SpaceX: "A block of planned upgrades to the Starship upper stage will debut on this flight test, bringing major improvements to reliability and performance. The vehicle’s forward flaps have been reduced in size and shifted towards the vehicle tip and away from the heat shield, significantly reducing their exposure to reentry heating while simplifying the underlying mechanisms and protective tiling. While in space, Starship will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, similar in size and weight to next-generation Starlink satellites as the first exercise of a satellite deploy mission. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster will utilize flight proven hardware for the first time, reusing a Raptor engine from the booster launched and returned on Starship’s fifth flight test. Hardware upgrades to the launch and catch tower will increase reliability for booster catch."
Celebrating New Year's Eve with fireworks at a human colony on Mars - a screenshot from 2022 science fiction teen comedy "Moonshot" set in 2049 when trips to Mars has become routine for skilled or wealthy people.
On May 29th at Starbase, Texas SpaceX CEO and lead designer Elon Musk provided an update of SpaceX's 
In March, China 
