Helldivers

The H.E.L.L.D.I.V.E.R.S. senior design team developed an innovative Mars entry, descent, and landing (EDL) system that intentionally embeds a lander into the Martian regolith to create a stable foundation for future human infrastructure. Rather than relying on a traditional soft landing, the design uses a carefully controlled impact following atmospheric entry, supersonic parachute deployment, and powered terminal descent to anchor a pre-deployed habitation and communications pod beneath the surface. The team integrated orbital trajectory design, thermal protection, propulsion, structural analysis, impact modeling, and regolith penetration studies into a complete mission architecture, demonstrating a novel approach for deploying durable infrastructure that could support future exploration and long-term human presence on Mars.