Humans’ desire to set foot on another planet – even make it their home is not distant as visionaries like Elon Musk are headstrong about their goal of colonizing Mars in the next few decades. More than a pipedream, the foundation has been laid by NASA’s unmanned missions to the red planet – the freshest one being the landing of the Mars Perseverance rover. While rovers scout the planet’s surface for signs of water and other intricate details for future missions, here on planet earth, imaginative designers are letting loose their creative bits to show us what the future could be like.

This bug-like rover that looks like the big daddy of the compact Mars rovers that we have seen over the years is, in fact, a waste disposal vehicle for the harsh terrain of the red planet. Called the D25 Modular Rover, the design comes to the courtesy of Joshua Kotter, who has reimagined the shape and function of a vehicle to make it look like its tailormade for the jarred landscape and severe weather conditions of Mars. The three-part vehicle is made of the modular platform chassis that’s electrically driven, has a cabin crew module, and the main waste disposal module. While the first and second are a given surety on the vehicle, the waste disposal module can be swapped with other customizable modules depending on the need.

Joshua gives the modular rover a very upbeat character that’s bold with the NASA, Tesla, and SpaceX branding. The Cybertruck-like sharp aesthetic is apparent in the rover as it is made to scale abrasive terrain commonly found on the planet. The module could also be readied for any reconnaissance missions should an alien species decide to have the first rights on the planet. Who knows what the uncertain future holds for humanity as we are bound to encounter other life forms in the galaxy and our universe eventually. The D25 Modular Rover looks prepared for that eventuality!

Designer: Joshua Kotter