Skip to main content

NASA wants to send a robotic mission to search for ice on Mars

This artist illustration depicts four orbiters as part of the International Mars Ice Mapper (I-MIM) mission concept. Low and to the left, an orbiter passes above the Martian surface, detecting buried water ice through a radar instrument and large reflector antenna. Circling Mars at a higher altitude are three telecommunications orbiters with one shown relaying data back to Earth.
This artist illustration depicts four orbiters as part of the International Mars Ice Mapper (I-MIM) mission concept. Low and to the left, an orbiter passes above the Martian surface, detecting buried water ice through a radar instrument and large reflector antenna. Circling Mars at a higher altitude are three telecommunications orbiters with one shown relaying data back to Earth.  NASA

If we ever want to send humans to Mars, we’ll need to find resources there which can help sustain a mission. One of the most essential resources for crewed missions is water, and now international space agencies want to find a way to locate it on the red planet.

NASA has partnered with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to announce they plan to investigate building a robotic orbiter called the Mars Ice Mapper, which would search for and map the location and depth of sub-surface water ice on Mars.

Recommended Videos

Scientists know that there is plenty of ice at Mars’s poles and in large craters, but they also want to know where ice is located on the rest of the planet. There is thought to be plentiful ice just below the surface in many areas, which would potentially be a very useful resource for future crewed missions there. Instead of having to trek all the way to the poles for ice, future astronauts could dig it out of the ground — providing they know where to look.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The idea is that robotic missions like the Mars Ice Mapper could pave the way for human missions, NASA officials explained. “This innovative partnership model for Mars Ice Mapper combines our global experience and allows for cost-sharing across the board to make this mission more feasible for all interested parties,” said Jim Watzin, NASA’s senior advisor for agency architectures and mission alignment, in a statement. “Human and robotic exploration go hand in hand, with the latter helping pave the way for smarter, safer human missions farther into the solar system. Together, we can help prepare humanity for our next giant leap — the first human mission to Mars.”

As well as assisting in human missions, learning more about ice on Mars would be scientifically valuable too. If researchers were able to collect ice cores from the planet, for example, they could see a record of the geological history of the planet. It could also contribute to the search for evidence of ancient life there.

“In addition to supporting plans for future human missions to Mars, learning more about subsurface ice will bring significant opportunities for scientific discovery,” said Eric Ianson, NASA Planetary Science Division Deputy Director and Mars Exploration Program Director. “Mapping near-surface water ice would reveal an as-yet hidden part of the Martian hydrosphere and the layering above it, which can help uncover the history of environmental change on Mars and lead to our ability to answer fundamental questions about whether Mars was ever home to microbial life or still might be today.”

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
NASA learns how the Ingenuity helicopter ended up crashing on Mars
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, right, stands near the apex of a sand ripple in an image taken by Perseverance on Feb. 24, 2024, about five weeks after the rotorcraft’s final flight. Part of one of Ingenuity’s rotor blades lies on the surface about 49 feet (15 meters) west of helicopter (at left in image).

Earlier this year, the NASA helicopter Ingenuity came to the end of its mission after an incredible 72 flights on Mars. The helicopter flew a remarkable 30 times farther than planned, and was the first rotocopter to fly on another planet, proving that exploring distant worlds from the air is possible. Now, NASA has revealed new details about what exactly caused the crash that brought the mission to an end, and what it learned about flying helicopters for future missions.

The final flight of Ingenuity took place on January 18, 2024, when the helicopter rose briefly into the air in a maneuver called a hop. The helicopter was fitted with a number of cameras, and shadows cast onto the planet's surface revealed that one of the helicopter's rotor blades was missing, having apparently separated at the mast. But it wasn't certain what had caused this damage.

Read more
NASA’s Mars rover reveals what it’s grateful for this Thanksgiving
NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.

It’s not just people who are sharing what they’re grateful for during Thanksgiving today -- Mars rovers are, too.

In a post on X, NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012, shared a message saying: “These stunning views of the Red Planet are a reminder of how vast and mysterious our universe is. What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?”

Read more
Follow Mars rover’s 18-mile trip in NASA’s animated route map
The route taken on Mars by NASA's Perseverance rover.

NASA has shared a fascinating animation showing the route taken by the Perseverance rover on Mars since its arrival there in February 2021.

Perseverance is NASA’s most advanced Mars rover to date, and while its general routes are decided by a team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the rover actually moves forward autonomously, checking for hazards and moving around any problematic objects as it goes.

Read more