A new multiplanetary mission architecture proposes a human exploration of Mars and Ceres in a single journey, advancing deep space exploration strategies.

Multiplanetary Mission to Mars and Ceres: A New Proposal

Charting a Bold Path Beyond Mars

For NASA, sending a crewed mission to Mars has been the long-term goal for over two decades. China has joined the club recently, with plans to send crewed missions to the red planet ahead of NASA. In both cases, the plans envision a stepping stone approach, using habitats and infrastructure in cis-lunar space to ensure that regular missions can be possible someday. They also envision how regular missions to Mars could lead to permanent habitats on the planet’s surface.

In a paper submitted to the 56th Lunar & Planetary Science Conference (2025 LPSC), a team of engineers proposed taking these plans further. Their mission concept consists of a Human-Crewed Interplanetary Transport Architecture (HUCITAR) to explore Mars and Ceres (the largest body in the central asteroid belt) in a single journey. Through innovative planning and international cooperation, their ambitious plan envisions a 4-year, seven-month expedition with six astronauts that could be ready to launch by 2035.