A new study has examined how future human missions to Mars could access one of the planet’s most vital resources – water.

The ‘Martian aqua: occurrence of water and appraisal of acquisition technologies’ paper, published in the Advances in Space Research journal, presents a comparative analysis of potential water acquisition technologies for use on the Red Planet. It also evaluates the feasibility of extracting water from various Martian sources, including underground ice, soil moisture, and atmospheric vapour – building on the findings of earlier studies which identified the sources.

Human habitation

Despite the documented widespread presence of water in different forms on Mars, most of it remains beyond the practical reach of early explorers. This new analysis brings together these discoveries and focuses on evaluating how – and how effectively – water might be collected to support human habitation.

Author Dr Vassilis Inglezakis, from the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Chemical & Process Engineering, said: “Reliable access to water would be essential for human survival on Mars, not only for drinking but also for producing oxygen and fuel, which would reduce dependence on Earth-based supplies.

“This study is one of the first to compare the various technologies that could be deployed to recover water in a Martian environment. It also puts forward new ideas for atmospheric water harvesting, offering potentially valuable alternatives where other sources are inaccessible.”

Martian conditions

The paper discusses each method in terms of energy demands, scalability, and suitability for different Martian conditions. The analysis suggests that subsurface ice is the most viable long-term water source, while moisture in soil and atmospheric vapour could provide supplementary supplies, particularly in emergencies or remote locations.

Dr Inglezakis added: "While the search for water continues and much of Mars remains unexplored, a clear understanding of available technologies and their realistic applications will be key to supporting sustained missions and eventual settlement.

“The research offers insights for future space exploration missions, supporting efforts to make them more self-sufficient and sustainable.”