Construction

Martian infrastructure development

Most scenarios for the first humans on Mars is to have pre-built and pre-functioning base modules.

• • Oxygen plant

  • Water extraction

  • Energy production

  • Habitat with airlock

  • Nitrogen extraction (for pressurisation of inflatable habitats etc)

  • Food production

Most also require some sort of construction and connection.

Some buildings will be need to be built more urgently than others within the first few years.

Electronics fabrication plant will be needed to mass produce solar cells, LEDs for lighting, power switching, communications equipment etc. Complex electronics such as CPUs, GPUs and NPUs will be still shipped from Earth for some time, but a small data center for basic AI without the latency from Earth will be needed, expensive shipping racks of servers.

Ore refineries and chemical plants will be needed to be built before many inhabitants arrive, for cabling as well as structural materials.

A Hospital, yet farmaceuticals again will be shipped from Earth for some time. large Waste and water processing plants for recycling important chemicals and nutrients.

So many buildings may appear within the first few years alone, so the colony growth may need to be rapid.

Living quarters/Habitats will need shielding so most likely be constructed underground in natural lava tubes.

Robotic Construction

3D Robot printing

SpaceX have plans to put robotic drones on Mars to aid in the setup and operation of fuel, water and Oxygen production.

The goal is no less than "a self-sustaining city on Mars, to make life multiplanetary." (Elon Musk)

SpaceX automated propellant depot

will use droids on the surface of Mars