Colonization of Mars

The colonization of Mars is the proposed process of establishing and maintaining control of Martian land for exploitation and the possible settlement of Mars.^[1] Most colonization concepts focus on settling, but colonization is a broader ethical concept,^[2] which international space law has limited,^[3] and national space programs have avoided,^[4] instead focusing on human mission to Mars for exploring the planet. The settlement of Mars would require the migration of humans to the planet, the establishment of a permanent human presence, and the exploitation of local resources.

No crewed missions to Mars have occurred, although there have been successful robotic missions to the planet. Public space agencies (including NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, ISRO, the CNSA, among others) have explored colonization concepts, but have primarily focused on further robotic exploration of Mars and the possibility of crewed landings. Some space advocacy groups, such as the Mars Society and the National Space Society,^[5] as well as some private organizations, such as SpaceX, have promoted the idea of colonization. The prospect of settling Mars has been explored extensively in science fiction writing, film, and art.

Challenges to settlement include the intense ionizing radiation that impacts the Martian surface, and the fine, toxic dust that covers the planet. Mars has an atmosphere, but it is unbreathable and thin. Surface temperatures fluctuate widely, between −70 and 0 °C (−94 and 32 °F). While Mars has underground water and other resources, conditions do not favor power production using wind and solar; similarly, the planet has few resources for nuclear power. Mars' orbit is the third closest to Earth's orbit, though far enough from Earth that the distance would present a serious obstacle to the movement of materiel and settlers. Justifications and motivations for colonizing Mars include technological curiosity, the opportunity to conduct in-depth observational research, the possibility that the settlement of other planets could decrease the probability of human extinction, the interest in establishing a colony independent of Earth, and the potential benefits of economic exploitation of the planet's resources.