Answer · confidence: partial

Which Mars spaceships have been tested, and how close is the closest one?

Research question: Which crewed Mars spacecraft designs have been tested in orbit or on the ground, and how close is the closest one?

The records show that the MARS-500 ground facility simulated an Earth-Mars shuttle spacecraft, an ascent-descent craft, and the Martian surface ¹. It was a ground-based mock-up at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow, not an orbital test ³. Its final stage was intended to simulate a 520-day crewed mission, with communications designed around an average 13-minute delay ⁵⁶. The facts do not give a physical distance for how close any design came to a real Mars mission, and the Gateway-based document reports no tested crewed Mars design ⁸. The newest fact dates from 2021, about five years before October 2026, so it may not reflect later work ⁷.

Checked 2026-10-21. Only documented and supported facts are used.

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Sources

[1] supported

The MARS-500 ground facility simulated an Earth-Mars shuttle spacecraft, an ascent-descent craft, and the Martian surface.

"The mock-up facility simulated an Earth-Mars shuttle spacecraft, an ascent-descent craft, and the Martian surface."

MARS-500

[2] supported

The Mars-500 experiment, run from 2007 to 2011 at the IMBP RAS facility, simulated a crewed flight to Mars on the ground.

"Это эксперимент по имитации пилотируемого полёта на Марс , проведённый Россией с широким международным участием."

Проект SIRIUS

[3] supported

The MARS-500 experiment was a ground-based mock-up, not an orbital test, located at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow.

"The experiment's facility was located at the Russian Academy of Sciences ' Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow , Russia."

MARS-500

[4] supported

The Mars-500 experiment was designed to simulate the main features of a crewed Mars flight, including long duration, autonomy, and communication delay with Earth.

"Целью проекта было собрать данные о здоровье членов команды и их работоспособности, сымитировав основные особенности пилотируемого полёта на Марс, такие, как высокая длительность, автономность, необычные условия связи с Землёй — задержка связи, ограниченность расходуемых ресурсов"

Проект SIRIUS

[5] supported

The final stage of MARS-500 was intended to simulate a 520-day crewed mission to Mars.

"The final stage of the experiment, which was intended to simulate a 520-day crewed mission, was conducted by an all-male crew"

MARS-500

[6] supported

MARS-500 communications were designed with an average delay of 13 minutes to mimic the transmission time to and from a Mars-bound spacecraft.

"MARS-500's communication systems were designed with an average delay of 13 min, to simulate the actual transmission time to and from a Mars-bound spacecraft."

MARS-500

[7] supported

The SIRIUS-21 experiment aimed to reproduce the main characteristics of a real interplanetary mission, including leaving Earth orbit, landing on a planet, and returning to Earth.

"Цель : воспроизведение основных характеристик реальной межпланетной миссии."

Проект SIRIUS

[8] supported

The document describes Gateway and the lunar missions as the proving ground for basic operational capabilities needed for future Mars systems, but it does not report any crewed Mars spacecraft design being tested in orbit or on the ground.

"the basic operational capabilities for all Mars systems"

Gateway Lunar Habitat Modules as the Basis for a Modular Mars Transit Habitat (2020)

[9] supported

The Mars Transit Habitat concept is described as able to support a crew of four for up to 1,200 days on a journey from Earth to Mars with a safe return, which is a design target rather than a tested result.

"1,200 days in a journey from Earth to Mars with a safe return."

Gateway Lunar Habitat Modules as the Basis for a Modular Mars Transit Habitat (2020)