NASA's goal is to put the first boot prints on Mars in the 2030s. There's a lot of work to be done before then, and many small steps to take in between.
The space agency has come under fire for not thoroughly plotting its roadmap to Mars. Lockheed Martin wants to help fill in the details. The company is responsible for building the Orion spaceship that will carry NASA astronauts to Mars, and it's also hoping NASA will sign on to its Mars Base Camp proposal.
The Base Camp would be a Lockheed Martin-built laboratory that orbits Mars, giving astronauts the ability to drive rovers and UAVs on the Martian surface in real-time, and perhaps paving the way for a landing party. The proposed laboratory could be on in orbit around Mars by as soon as 2028, the company says.