Mars terraforming outpost

Picture of the Day 14/07/2025 - visualization of a terraforming outpost on Mars by Sebastian Esposito. The outpost unfolds across the rust-red plains of Mars, its gleaming geodesic domes and translucent greenhouses springing to life amid an otherwise barren landscape. Billowing plumes of vapor rise from atmospheric processing units - an effort to thicken the thin, carbon-dioxide-rich air, while clusters of solar arrays and modular habitats stretch toward the hazy horizon. Nearby, rockets stand ready to ferry supplies and settlers between the outpost and orbiting stations, underscoring humanity’s bold commitment to transform the Red Planet from a cold desert into a living world.

Evolution of SpaceX' vision for human colony on Mars

From 2017 onward, SpaceX steadily refined their vision for the 1st human colony on Mars - from the debut of early visuals of an ambitious Mars City during the BFR (Big Falcon Rocket) unveiling, to increasingly detailed illustrations by 2019 showcasing the gleaming stainless‑steel Starship touching down and launching from this base. The 2022 update introduced animations emphasizing mission sequence - transports arriving, crewed modules landing, and a functioning spaceport. By April 2024, the concept had matured into a recognizable, modular Mars habitat design centered around a robust Starship fleet. Finally, in May 2025, the latest rendering unveiled a full-fledged Martian city with partially underground habitats to shield against radiation and Tesla Optimus robots constructing the city, marking the culmination of conceptual evolution from isolated landing pads to a thriving, self‑sustaining urban landscape on Mars.

September 2017

On September 29, 2017, Elon Musk provided 2nd annual presentation of the Starship architecture (then called BFR or Big Falcon Rocket). During the presentation titled "Making life multiplanetary" first official SpaceX visualizations for a Mars City were provided:

March 2019

On March 22, 2019, Elon Musk visited Doyle Ryder Elementary school in Flint, Michigan and demonstrated a new video of SpaceX's Starship landing at Mars Base Alpha:

SpaceX Starship Mars mission update 2025

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:

SpaceX Mars mission in 2026:

SpaceX Mars mission in 2028:

You woke alone in a Martian base.. only to discover you are not quite alone..

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:

A vision of artificial lakes & canals on Mars

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.

Poster "Join us on Mars" by Jode Thompson

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.

Mars base model by Zuzanna Skąpska

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.

New Year's Eve fireworks at a Martian colony

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.

SpaceX Starship mission to Mars in 2030 - animated story by iamVisual

Canadian VFX artist and YouTuber iamVisual has created an animated short story of SpaceX's Starship human mission to Mars in 2030:

Starship launch towers in Starbase, Texas:

Stage separation:

Garden inside a dome on Mars by Bryan Versteeg

Canadian concept artist Bryan Versteeg has created a concept of a human base on Mars featuring a recreational garden inside a small crater covered with a transparent dome.

Garden under a geodesic dome

Picture of the Day 07/09/2024 - design of a garden under a geodesic dome for the King Salman Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to be opened this year as the largest urban park in the world. Public gardens in future Arab settlements on Mars could look similar as this design.

The colonization of Mars in "The Martian Chronicles" (1980) TV series

The Martian Chronicles is a 1980 television 3-episode miniseries based on Ray Bradbury's 1950 science fiction novel with the same name The Martian Chronicles which was originally not written as a singular work but as short stories published separately in late 1940s.

The novel and TV series chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, at the beginning of 21st century when human settlers leave the troubled Earth that is eventually devastated by a nuclear war. The series depicts Mars as having a "thin atmosphere" which humans can breathe, with desert-like vegetation and water-filled canals, cities and other alien structures built by the indigenous Martians thousands of years ago.

The Martian Chronicles TV series, aired on 1980, is one of the few works of science fiction to depict Mars, in the period between the initial Mars enthusiasm that ended in the 1960s, characterized by fear of hostile Martians, and the revival of Mars-related science fiction in the 2000s already without the Martians.

The Martian Chronicles are divided into three parts / episodes:

1. The Expeditions - the exploration of Mars begins with two failed expeditions. Colonel Wilder then leads a 3rd crew to discover the secret of Mars - only to find all the Martians dead from chicken pox.
2. The Settlers - with native Martians wiped out by disease, thousands of humans now colonize the red planet and attempt to create a second Earth.
3. The Martians - with Earth destroyed in a nuclear war, there are only a few survivors on Mars, including Wilder's family. To rebuild what he has lost, Wilder chooses to make Mars his new home.

Here is a collection of screenshots from the series. Keep in mind that the series is from 1980 and the creators were trying to replicate the retrofuturistic style of the illustrations from an even older novel from 1950.

First expeditions to Mars:

A long night on Mars in "Fort Solis" thriller game

Fort Solis (2023) is a cinematic narrative-driven science fiction thriller game set in 2080 on Mars. During a night engulfed in a severe sandstorm two mining engineers, Jack and Jessica, respond to an unusual emergency alert from a mining and research station "Fort Solis". The station is on lockdown and seems to be abandoned. The pair separately starts to investigate, what has happened in the base, searching for clues throughout the claustrophobic buildings. Piece by piece they unlock both the various parts of the base and the truth behind recent events there. The game starts as a detective and ends as a thriller.

Fort Solis runs on Unreal Engine 5.2 so visually it is really good, especially the character models and animations. The game is not long, you can finish it in 5 to 8 hours even when reading, watching and listening to all of the clues throughout the base. The story will unfold linearly piece by piece, but there are two separate endings possible in the final act of the game.

Visual recap of Fort Solis' STORY

Jack and Jessica are working at a mining rig on Mars

When receiving the emergency allert Jack is driving to the mining station "Fort Solis"

"Fort Solis" is on lockdown

Search for a lost colony on Mars in "Deliver Us Mars" adventure game

Sequel to Deliver Us The Moon (2019), Deliver Us Mars (2023) is an atmospheric sci-fi adventure game set in mid-21st century when the ecosystem of Earth is close to extinction due to the effects of climate change. After a mysterious distress call from Mars, Earth’s youngest astronaut Kathy joins an expedition to recover the ARK colony ships stolen more than decade ago by the mysterious science-oriented organization Outward (Kathy's father Isaac is among the leaders of Outward).

Although the story of Deliver Us Mars is strictly linear and you as a player can't impact it, the story itself is well-written and interesting, revealing the truth about the fate of Outward colonists on Mars piece by piece. Some parts of the game felt like a true detective. The atmospheric visual and audial mood of the scenes complements the story well and the final act of Deliver Us Mars features one of the most compelling representations of a human colony on Mars in video games, feeling almost utopian.. especially comparing it to the dying Earth.

Unfortunately, this aspect also leads to some frustration with the strictly linear nature of the game's storytelling - you can't change the main character's endgame decision, no matter how stupid you think it is. Another source of a frustration with the game for some players will be the clunky wall climbing mechanics. Regardless these small issues Deliver Us Mars is a must-play game for any Mars fan.

Visual recap of Deliver Us Mars' STORY

Be aware of heavy spoilers, revealing major story plots.

Even before getting to Mars the expedition is riddled with severe problems

Game's protagonist (main character) is Earth’s youngest astronaut Kathy searching for her father among the lost colonists on Mars

Kathy lands near an abandoned mining facility

Martian city in "Chaser"

Chaser is an old first-person shooter released on 2003. Today there is no shortage of video games set on Mars, but back then Chaser was one of the few, even if only less than half of the game actually takes place on Mars. It follows a story somewhat similar to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous movie Total Recall (1990) and I reviewed the game here 10 years ago.

Recently I made a second playthrough of the game. Part of Chaser's story takes place in a city on Mars under a large dome and here are some screenshots of the city:

SpaceX Starship update 2024

On April 4th at Starbase, Texas SpaceX CEO and lead designer Elon Musk provided an unannounced update of SpaceX's Starship architecture. Here are slides and animations from his presentation.

Full presentation:

Slides from the presentation

Starship v1, v2 and v3 specifications:

Thrust comparison of Raptor v1, v2 and v3:

First Mechazilla launch tower pairs at Starbase, Texas and Cape Canaveral, Florida:

Harmonia City - Part 5 of Martian sketches by Andrey Maximov

Environment concept artist Andrey Maximov from Armenia has created an impressive set of artworks called Martian sketches depicting a "routine" journey to Mars in 2089. So far he has published 30 pages of those sketches. As the artist describes them: "this series is kind of like the road sketches of a member of an expedition to Mars. It's a routine flight in the not-too-distant future. The planet is more or less inhabited. We have an orbital station around Mars. There are already several settlements on the surface, mining is going on."

• 1st part (10 sketches) of Andrey's Martian sketches depicted the expedition leaving Earth;
• 2nd part (5 sketches) depicted expedition's arrival to "International Mars Orbital Station";
• 3rd part (6 sketches) depicted spaceport "Anteros" on Mars.
• 4th part (4 sketches) depicted expedition's road to the "Harmonia City".

Here is 5th part (5 sketches) depicting the multi-leveled "Harmonia City" on Mars: