New images released by NASA revealed the potential sites for SpaceX’s Mars-colonizing rocket Starship. According to an expert, the selected sites have certain features that can support life.

The images were taken using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera mounted on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In a new gallery shared through HiRISE’s website, different photos of Mars’ landscape can be viewed.

Each of the photos has been labeled as “Candidate Landing Site for SpaceX Starship in Arcadia Region.” As of this writing, the gallery features 12 photos. More photos might be added in the next couple of days if NASA’s orbiter finds other possible sites for SpaceX’s Starship.

Although SpaceX has not yet commented on the nature of the photos, space-history writer Robert Zimmerman speculated that the sites were strategically selected by NASA and SpaceX due to their stable conditions and ability to support a human colony.

According to Zimmerman, the Arcadia region, the area where the candidate landing sites are, most likely has underground frozen water. This can be extracted and transformed into necessary supplies such as drinking water, rocket fuel and oxygen.

“First and foremost, there is strong evidence that this location holds buried glaciers called lobate debris aprons,” Zimmerman wrote in a blog post. “The hilly arc where site #1 is nestled, dubbed Erebus Montes, apparently is filled with these kinds of glaciers, according to this global Martian map of glacier locations.”

Aside from holding frozen water, Zimmerman noted that the selected landing sites have milder conditions compared to other areas in Mars. He noted that the climate in these areas will be ideal for human colonies to thrive in.

“These locations have other advantages,” he stated. “They are all at about 40 degree latitude, meaning their climate will be relatively mild, for Mars. The terrain for site #5 is very flat, making for a very safe landing zone that is also very close to the debris aprons at the other sites.”

Zimmerman speculated that since NASA and SpaceX have already selected possible landing sites for Starship, these two will most likely increase their research activities on the Red Planet in preparation for human colonization.

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Wdowiak Ridge
This vista from NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows Wdowiak Ridge, from left foreground to center, as part of a northward look with the rover tracks visible at right. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.
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