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It’s day 25. You wake up in a bunk bed in a snow-capped Martian landscape, far from civilization. It’s -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) outside. After meditating and eating a breakfast of freeze-dried dumplings, you and your crew of six don spacesuits over thermal underwear and set off on a mission into a sandstorm.
This is not a fever dream. It’s a month-long survival challenge deep in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, designed to simulate life on Mars for tourists.
The project, called the MARS-V project, is being developed by MARS-V, a non-governmental organization based in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar. They are working on building a full-fledged Mars analog station in the Gobi in preparation for human travel to the Red Planet, with plans to welcome the first tourists to a mock Mars camp by 2029.
No other place on Earth mimics the geography and climate of Mars more than the Mongolian Gobi. It is a dry, barren land with temperatures ranging from 45 degrees Celsius to minus 40 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit). The iron oxide soil is reddish, giving it an eerie Mars-like appearance.
This combination of isolation, altitude, and temperature makes the site of great scientific value as a training ground for scientists and astronauts, and as a testing site for equipment and rovers.
MARS-V also offers another possibility: tourism.
MARS-V CEO Enkhtuvshin Doyodkhuu said, “Your objective is to survive in a very isolated environment. You have to have the simulation mindset of being on another planet. You have to feel that if you don’t follow the protocols, you die.”
Each participant must pass physical, psychological and mental agility tests and then undergo a three-month virtual astronaut training program on everything from oxygen intake protocols to the psychology of isolation.
Once in Mongolia, after three days of face-to-face training with new teammates in Ulaanbaatar, we hand over our phones and begin the 10-hour journey over bumpy roads to the site, away from civilization and through expanses of pale dust.
“It’s surreal,” Doyodoku says. “The Gobi gives you a very Mad Max-like feeling, this sense of vastness, endless empty space. It’s beautiful if you think about it, but it can be overwhelming for some people.”
Are you at home this month? Mars “habitats” — interconnected modular pods with living quarters, laboratories, and greenhouses. Each day begins with the same rigorous routine that a real astronaut might face. Vitamins, meditation, exercise, breakfast, and a team briefing for the next day.
“Meditation needs to be a big part of your program,” Doyodoku says. “One of the things that’s very dangerous when it comes to Mars pioneers is that we don’t really know what their psychology will be, because no one else has been off Earth for this long.”
Doyodokou says Mars simulations for tourists could have similar psychological effects.
“You’re going to have this kind of claustrophobia. You’re going to miss Earth.”
Every day at Mars-V camp is full of challenges and missions. For example, crews take out probes for geological mapping and collecting soil samples. Communication with “Earth” (Mars V mission support team) will be staggered to mimic interplanetary delays. The simulation takes place between October and March under harsh winter conditions, when the Gobi freezes solid.
“Minus 27 degrees Celsius (-16.6 degrees Fahrenheit) would be a warm day,” the CEO laughs. Crew members wear thermal base layers, overalls, and analog spacesuits when working outdoors.
To make it as realistic as possible, the Mars-V team hides all external support from view.
“Compared to Arctic exploration, this is controlled,” Doyodok says. “If there is a real possibility of death, we will stop the simulation.”
Meals will include freeze-dried Mongolian dishes such as rehydrated dumplings and mutton stew, designed to mimic astronaut food while respecting local culture.
There are even design echoes between the nomadic Mongolian yurts (traditional felt tents, also called yurts) and the Mars dome prototype being developed by the MARS-V engineering team.
“We (Mongolians) have a thousands of years of history of living in isolated places with very limited resources,” Doyodokou explains. “We’re just taking that idea to another planet.”
The idea of experimenting with planetary life on Earth is not new. NASA and ESA have used analog sites for experiments and training for many years.
But MARS-V’s plans to combine scientific research and tourism are at a pivotal moment. Private space travel is finally becoming mainstream. SpaceX and Blue Origin are bringing celebrities like Katy Perry, Tom Hanks and Kim Kardashian into a new era of luxury space travel.
But for those who can’t afford a $28 million ticket to space, the MARS-V camp in Mongolia offers a more accessible way to experience the wonders of space at a fraction of the cost. The cost for one month at camp and pre-camp training and evaluation is expected to be approximately $6,000 per person.
This is Mars tourism without the launch costs or the risk of suffocation from decompression.
The MARS-V analog station is in the early stages of development, with habitat, spacesuit, and food designs complete. Doyodokou said he expects the habitat to be ready and open to the public within the next two to three years.
For those drawn to the idea of other planets, MARS-V promises a glimpse into the future of Mars.
“There’s a lot of time to think outside,” Doyodokou says. “Spending a month in this otherworldly place and trying to survive with five other people gives you a new perspective on life.”
“If you believe that in the future humanity is going to be a multiplanetary race, then actually being a part of that history and going to Analog Astronaut Training Center and challenging yourself is going to have a huge impact on people.”
For the right traveler, whether it’s a thrill seeker, an explorer, or a space enthusiast, it could be the ultimate vacation. But if the idea of frigid isolation and bunk beds sounds more like punishment than adventure, Mongolia’s Gobi already offers a glimpse of another world in far more comfortable surroundings.
At Gobi’s exclusive Three Camel Lodge, travelers can turn their thermal wear into spa towels and freeze-dried stews into a selection of whiskies, all summer long. However, it takes 7-8 hours to get from Ulaanbaatar to the lodge, so you’ll need to strap in. After all, it’s one of the most remote places on Earth, and probably the closest to Mars without ever leaving Earth.
