Abstract: The Martian atmosphere exhibits seasonal fluctuations that result in a reduction in the lift generated by the airfoil of Martian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The present simulation examines the impact of plasma excitation locations and excitation parameters of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) on the lift of the NACA 0012 airfoil at the Martin condition with low Reynolds number and high Mach number. It was discovered that excitation at the upper wall surface can markedly enhance the lift of the airfoil, with the optimal position depending on the angle of attack. The optimal excitation position for the 5° angle-of-attack condition is at the trailing edge (i.e., x_p = 0.9c), resulting in a 106% lift gain, while that for 15° is at the leading edge (i.e., x_p = 0.1c), yielding a 44% gain. The lift enhancement provided by DBD excitation can be further improved by increasing the excitation frequency and voltage. The mechanism of DBD excitation can be interpreted in three ways: firstly, by suppressing flow separation of the airfoil; secondly, by enlarging the pressure difference across the top and bottom walls; and thirdly, by modifying the vorticity distribution around the airfoil.