Launch and Landing Vehicle

Background & Assembly

The mars crew lander developed for the Artemis Mars program. The LLV is launched aboard an Ares-V launch vehicle, then docks to a station in low earth orbit. an additional transfer stage is launched for the intercept burn to catch the Mars cycler. Crew are launched on an Ares-I after the LLV and kick stage are fueled at the station.

Launch to Mars

all the fuel in the kick stage and most of the fuel inside the LLVs cryogenic tank is used up to match the speed of the cycler. Once at mars it undocks and aerobrakes to slow itself into a low mars orbit. It deorbits and preforms a powered landing at a mars colony.

Launch to Earth

The LLV is fueled up and launched back up when a cycler is approaching mars. most of the fuel in the cryogenic stage is used up to fly back up into mars orbit. A gas core nuclear second stage is then used to match the speed of the cycler.

second variant

A LLV-2 variant started to be used once A refueling station was constructed in Mars orbit. The second variant gets rid of the nuclear upper stage and instead gets refueled in Mars orbit.