Posted on April 1, 2025 by Simone Steiskal

 

For Immediate Release:

WEST CONCORD, Minn. (April 1, 2025. 8 a.m. CET)

Ellingson-DTD is proud to announce our selection as the primary drilling contractor to construct and operate a potable water supply ahead of the establishment of the first international exploration base on Mars. Working closely with a Space startup and funded in part by the UFP, Ellingson’s new mission will be to explore potential sites for near-surface water extraction to support human habitation and future research and industrial capabilities on the Red Planet.

Notes Dan Ombalski, VP of Engineering for Ellingson, “Scientists have long considered that Mars may be hiding significant water resources. Based on recent thermographic imaging, Segment 201, Lateral Grid 6 seems to have an extensive layer of shallow water ice that makes horizontal wells the most feasible means of extraction.”

The mission will include mobilization of advanced HDD equipment to install and develop high-capacity horizontal wells for water supply. Ellingson has assembled a highly-qualified team of planetary geologists, Ph.D.-graduate roughnecks, and west Texas drillers to execute the mission.

Ellingson’s experience with remote location projects has primed them for this endeavor. As A.J. Yablonski, Operations Manager explains, “We’ve never missed our mark, but we do have concerns about the potential for compressed iron ferrite. We’ll have two of everything, even drill rigs, ferrite is known to chew up transmissions and, well, hitting a gas deposit would be catastrophic… blow the rig off the bore.”

Ellingson-DTD’s terrestrial history of innovation, including extended length blind wells, in situ groundwater treatment, and direct injection of soil stabilization amendments, was a key factor in their selection for the project.

Work is expected to begin on April 1, 2025, an historic date in cosmic tomfoolery.

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