MARS-X

Phase 1: 2018 to 2022
Development and testing of technologies necessary for the mission. Communication satellites and rovers will then be launched in
preparation for the astronauts’ arrival.

Phase 2: 2023 to 2024
Construction of the spacecraft in LEO. Several launches spread over several months will be required to build the entire ship.

Phase 3: 2024 to 2027
Mission to Phobos and Mars. After about eight months in space, the astronauts will reach the Red Planet. There they will spend 495 days on and around Phobos while communicating with the rovers on the surface through the communication system that will already have been set up. They will then commence their five-month journey back home.