Lockheed Martin teases reusable Mars lander concept

It seems Lockheed Martin doesn't want to be left alone in the dark after all the amazing rockets and plans from SpaceX. The aerospace and defense company just revealed its vision of a singe stage, completely reusable Mars lander that will be able to both descent and ascend. The Lockheed Martin vision includes a Mars Base Camp Orbiter habitat with two landers, which look a little bit like a hybrid of the Space Shuttle and the SR-71 Blackbird.

Chambers says his team plans to use cryogenic hydrogen as fuel because of the "water-based economy" they anticipate on Mars, where water can power both the orbital base camp and the lander. Lockheed Martin intends to send humans on a mission lasting around three years long: six to nine months traveling to Mars, 12 to 18 months on Mars and six to nine months traveling back to Earth.

"We designed a lander that can fuel in orbit, that has enough room to support a crew of four people for two weeks and then take off again," Chambers said.

Full details at CNBC.