NASA Discovers Heart-Shaped Wonders on Mars

In a delightful twist to planetary science, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured images of dozens of heart-shaped landforms sprinkled across the Martian surface—turning the cold, red expanse into a gallery of cosmic affection.

These curious shapes have appeared in various regions, from Arabia Terra to the southern highlands. While they might evoke sentiments of love and whimsy, scientists assure us they’re no extraterrestrial Valentine’s messages. Instead, they’re crafted by natural forces over millions of years.

How Does Mars Carve Out a Heart?

• Impact Craters: Small meteoroids collide with Mars, revealing lighter sediment underneath and sculpting crater patterns that coincidentally resemble hearts.
• Erosion & Volcanism: Mesas and depressions, shaped by erosion or volcanic activity, also contribute to heart-like silhouettes.
• Lighting & Shadows: Martian sunlight plays visual tricks—enhancing ridges and dips to accentuate these romantic outlines.

“It's one of those moments where science meets poetry,” remarked Dr. Alisha Grant, a planetary geologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We're interpreting nature’s randomness as a symbol of something very human.”

Mars: The Solar System’s Secret Romantic?

NASA has been sharing these striking visuals each year around Valentine’s Day, fueling public fascination. One post even quipped, “Looks like Mars has been secretly playing Cupid all along.”

The trend has gained momentum online, with space enthusiasts tagging their favorite heart-shaped formations and debating whether the Red Planet deserves a new nickname: ‘The Loveliest Planet.’

What It Means for Science & Storytelling

While the formations are scientifically valuable—helping researchers analyze erosion patterns, geological layering, and ancient water flows—they also serve a purpose beyond data. They invite the public to engage with space exploration in a playful, emotional way.

After all, when a distant planet 225 million kilometers away starts resembling symbols of love, it’s hard not to feel a cosmic connection.

NASA Fast-Tracks Mars Missions, Puts Lunar Plans on Hold

NASA is considering launching missions to Mars as early as next year, marking a significant shift in priorities. This change comes after the U.S. administration released its proposed budget, which emphasizes landing a human on Mars and allocates an additional $1 billion for Mars-related projects.

SpaceX's Starship is expected to play a key role in these missions, given its capability to reach the Red Planet. The agency is evaluating launch windows in 2026 and 2028 to test technologies that will support human exploration on Mars. However, this shift may lead to tensions with lawmakers who have mandated NASA to focus on a long-term lunar presence.

With this NASA's shift toward Mars missions is causing major changes to its lunar exploration plans. The Artemis program, which was designed to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon, is facing significant cuts. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule—key components of Artemis—are set to be retired after Artemis 3, the first planned crewed Moon landing. Additionally, the lunar Gateway space station, which was meant to serve as a staging point for deep-space missions, is being canceled.

Despite these cuts, NASA is still allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration. However, the agency is shifting toward commercial alternatives, such as SpaceX's Starship, to support future Moon missions. This move aligns with the administration’s goal of prioritizing Mars while maintaining a presence on the Moon.

Notably, NASA and ISRO's NISAR mission remains on track despite NASA's shift toward Mars. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is scheduled for launch in June 2025. This Earth observation mission will use dual-frequency radar (L-band and S-band) to monitor changes in landforms, ice sheets, and ecosystems every 12 days.

While NASA is prioritizing Mars, NISAR's funding and development remain intact, as it serves a different purpose—tracking environmental changes, disaster management, and infrastructure monitoring. The satellite is currently undergoing final integration at ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

So, while NASA's deep-space ambitions are shifting, its collaboration with ISRO on Earth science remains strong.

This shift of priorities from NASA is sparking concerns among lawmakers and international partners, as NASA had previously committed to a sustained lunar presence. What do you think, should NASA focus on Mars, or is the Moon still a crucial stepping stone? Do comment your opinion below...

How ISRO Plans to Land Mangalyaan-2 on Mars

ISRO's Mars Lander Mission (MLM) (unofficially called Mangalyaan-2) mission is set to be India's first attempt at landing on Mars, marking a significant leap in interplanetary exploration. Unlike its predecessor, which was an orbiter, this mission will include a lander and a helicopter for surface exploration.

Key Landing Strategy:

1. Launch & Cruise Stage: The spacecraft will be launched aboard the LVM3 rocket and initially placed in an Earth orbit of 190 x 35,786 km. From there, a Cruise Stage will propel it toward Mars.
2. Direct Entry Approach: Upon reaching Mars, the Descent Stage will detach and make a direct atmospheric entry, skipping the need for orbiting before landing.
3. Aerobraking & Parachutes: To slow down, ISRO will use aerobraking, leveraging the Martian atmosphere to reduce velocity. A heat-protective aeroshell and supersonic parachutes will help manage the intense atmospheric friction.
4. Final Descent & Touchdown: At 1.3 km above the surface, the lander will activate its powered descent system, using onboard engines to ensure a soft and precise landing.

If successful, Mangalyaan-2 will place India among the elite nations that have landed on Mars, providing invaluable data for future missions. While ISRO has yet to confirm a launch date, the mission's complexity highlights India's growing capabilities in space exploration.

An illustration of NASA's Perseverance rover landing safely on Mars. Hundreds of critical events must execute perfectly and exactly on time for the rover to land safely on Feb. 18, 2021. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mangalyaan-2 is a major upgrade from India's first Mars mission, Mangalyaan-1. Unlike Mangalyaan-1, which was an orbiter, Mangalyaan-2 will include a lander and a helicopter to explore the Martian surface. 

The new mission can carry 7 times more payload than its Mangalyaan-1, allowing for more sophisticated scientific instruments. Instead of orbiting Mars first, Mangalyaan-2 will make a direct atmospheric entry before landing. 

This mission marks India's first attempt at landing on another planet, putting ISRO in an elite group of space agencies.

Exciting, right? What aspect of the mission interests you the most?

SpaceX to Shoot for the Mars in 2 Years

Elon Musk recently announced that SpaceX plans to launch its first uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years, during the next Earth-Mars transfer window. These missions aim to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars. If successful, SpaceX plans to follow up with crewed missions in about four years.

This is an exciting step towards Musk's long-term vision of building a self-sustaining city on Mars within the next 20 years.

SpaceX’s Starship is claimed to be a fully reusable spacecraft and rocket system designed to carry both crew and cargo to a variety of destinations, including Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. At 120 meters tall, it can carry up to 150 metric tonnes in a fully reusable configuration.

With SpaceX Starship, Musk envisions building a self-sustaining city on Mars within the next 20 years. This city would rely on local resources for water, oxygen, and building materials, and would be designed to support a growing population.

This year in June, a Starship rocket survived a fiery, hypersonic return from space and achieved a breakthrough landing demonstration in the Indian Ocean, completing a full test mission around the globe on the rocket's fourth try.

Living on Mars presents several significant challenges and the major one is Harsh Environment. Mars has an extremely thin atmosphere, about 100 times less dense than Earth’s, which offers little protection from cosmic and solar radiation. The average temperature is around -81°F (-63°C), making it incredibly cold.

Besides, Transporting supplies and equipment to Mars is a significant challenge due to the long distance and the need for precise landing. Any mission would require careful planning and substantial resources.

Musk's Mars mission will use the Starship spacecraft, which is designed to be fully reusable and capable of carrying both crew and cargo. Starship will be refueled in orbit before heading to Mars and can use local resources on Mars to produce fuel for the return trip.

Lal, Mursan and Hilsa – The Names of 3 Craters on Mars Discovered by ISRO Associated PRL, Ahmedabad

Scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, a facility associated with ISRO, have named three craters on Mars after places in India. The craters were discovered by PRL scientists and have been named after the former director of PRL, Devendra Lal, and two Indian small towns, Mursan (Hathras district) in Uttar Pradesh and Hilsa (Nalanda district) in Bihar. The naming was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) earlier this month.

The largest crater, named Lal, spans 65 km and is located in the Tharsis volcanic region of Mars. The other two craters, Mursan and Hilsa, are each about 10 km wide and are situated on the eastern and western sides of the rim of the Lal Crater. This discovery not only honors the contributions of Indian scientists but also provides compelling evidence that Mars once had water, which flowed on its surface.

The entire area of the Lal crater is within the Tharsis volcanic region on Mars, which is a geologically young surface as it is covered with lava flows. There is geophysical evidence of material other than the lava flows in this crater, with a 45 metre thick sedimentary deposit beneath the crater. The evidence of this material was obtained by the subsurface radar, Mars SHAllow RADar sounder (SHARAD) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA's eyes in the skies of Mars.

Craters are bowl-shaped depressions found on the surface of planets, moons, and other celestial bodies. They can be formed by several processes which include meteorite, asteroid, comet collides, or as a result of volcanic activity and are typically found at the summit of volcanoes.

Mars, the Red Planet, is home to a fascinating variety of craters, many of which are named after notable scientists and science fiction authors. The red planet has hundreds of thousands of impact craters. These are formed by collisions with meteoroids, asteroids, or comets. Only about one thousand of these craters have names, and they are usually named after famous scientists and authors.

Huygens is the largest named crater with a diameter of 467.25 km. Schiaparelli is the second largest, measuring 458.52 km in diameter.

The study of Martian craters provides valuable insights into the planet's geology and history, including the frequency of impacts and volcanic activity over time. For more detailed information, you can explore the [List of craters on Mars] on Wikipedia, which includes coordinates, diameters, and the year of official name adoption for each crater.

Alien Burp Heard 6 Times on Mars, Evidence from NASA's Curiosity Rover

Curiosity’s Wheels: This photo was taken on March 19, 2017, by the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera on the arm of NASA's Curiosity rover. The image helped mission team members inspect the condition of Curiosity’s six wheels. [Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.]

Recently, scientists have heard Alien Burp on Mars and evidence for this has been gathered by NASA's Curiosity rover. Now it is being investigated what is this burp-like sound and what is its source? Where is this coming from? Because the Curiosity rover has recorded a belching sound 6 times since it landed on Mars. But there doesn't seem to be anything making noise around. This incident is also surprising for NASA scientists.

NASA's Curiosity Rover landed on Mars in the year 2012. Its landing was done in the Gale Crater. Since then, it has recorded a sound like burp 6 times. This sound is being recorded in the Curiosity rover's detection system. But where is this belching sound coming from, scientists are not aware of this.

According to scientists from the California Institute of Technology (CIT), this is the sound of methane gas bubbles bursting but its source is not known. To understand this, the scientists of CIT made a model in which they tried to explain that if the particles of methane gas are different, then they form different packets. That's why scientists are studying the wind speed and direction on Mars, as well as estimating the possible distance of the sound, so that it can be known how far from the Curiosity rover and from which direction this alien burrow (Alien) Burp) is coming.

However, it will be difficult to find the Alien Burp precisely because according to the CIT model, some burp-like sounds can be several kilometers away. So it is not possible to go there and investigate them, as the rover has a top speed on flat, hard ground of 4.2-centimeters per second, or 152 meters per hour. This is a little less than 0.1-miles per hour ( or 0.17 Km/hour).

Scientists from CIT said that data of active emission of methane has been found in the southwest and north-west areas of Gale Crater. It may be that sounds like Alien Burp are coming from here. It may be just a coincidence but it cannot be let go without investigation. Because the Curiosity rover landed in an area of ​​Gale Crater, around which there are active areas with methane emissions.

For scientists, the presence of methane gas on Mars is quite surprising. Because the emission of methane gas on earth is done by biological process. That is, by living beings. Therefore, the bursting of bubbles of methane gas or the arrival of such alien burps on Mars suggests that there is a possibility of life here.

If methane is not being produced by biological process, that is, it is also some geological activity. Because of which life can flourish. Because the presence of methane gas is an important evidence about the presence of liquid water.

The Curiosity Rover has an instrument named Tunable Laser Spectrometer. This is the instrument that is listening to the Alien Burp and recording it. Meaning it is continuously recording the presence of methane gas. This is a sensitive device that if a pinch of salt falls in the Olympic swimming pool, it will detect it.

Earlier, an attempt was made to study the presence of methane gas on Mars from the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of the European Space Agency (ESA). But this attempt was unsuccessful. However, the level of methane gas in the atmosphere of Mars keeps on fluctuating. But TGO could not catch it. But the Curiosity rover is present only near the place where the methane gas is produced.

NASA scientists say that they do not yet know where methane gas is being produced. Maybe life exists here in the form of tiny microbes. Because the life of methane gas is 330 years, it can be detected only during this time. After this it ends due to sunlight. This means that wherever the methane is being generated, that source is still active.

Now the first priority of NASA scientists is that they can find the source of producing methane gas on Mars. This study by NASA scientists has been published on the pre-print server But it has not been peer reviewed yet.

Taking One Step Closer to Life on Mars, Interstellar Lab Unveils 'BioPod' Created with Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

BioPod Top-View

Self-sustaining food production system advances Interstellar Lab’s mission to support human life sustainably on Earth, the Moon and Mars by generating and recycling food, water, air

Interstellar Lab used a virtual twin experience to simulate, test and optimize the performance of BioPod’s dome and biological systems

In the race to explore space, the “Reinvent the Sky” industry solution experience on the cloud accelerates concept to certification for disruptive companies

VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France — June 24, 2021 — Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) today announced that Interstellar Lab, a research company creating closed-loop controlled environment habitats and biospheres generating and recycling food, water and air, used the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud to efficiently design and develop its first prototype, BioPod. This controlled environment food production system advances its mission to build space-ready stations containing the infrastructure and resources to support human life sustainably on Earth, the Moon and Mars.

Interstellar Lab used the “Reinvent the Sky” industry solution experience based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to seamlessly collaborate, and rapidly optimize and validate its designs. In one digital environment providing secure and instant access to the latest project data from anywhere at any time, team members in France and the U.S. combined their expertise and used a virtual twin to simulate and test the performance of BioPod’s structure in extreme climates, as well as that of its biological systems such as the optimal levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide and light levels for plants to grow.

Bio Pods on Earth

"Climate change is a real emergency for Earth and we only have a small window to bring about positive change. We are developing a new framework for sustainable living on Earth and a testbed for future space missions,” said Barbara Belvisi, Founder and CEO, Interstellar Lab. “The 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables us to have the most efficient working processes and avoid reworking designs from scratch. As we progress to the next stage, the platform’s program and project management capabilities will be invaluable to us for storing and retrieving design knowledge and managing the product lifecycle effectively."

BioPod is an inflatable dome measuring 6 meters (19.7 feet) wide, 10 meters (32.8 feet) long and 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) high that uses composites for the solid technical base and soft plastic membranes for the main and outer shell. It is designed to revolutionize food production by combining advanced crop cultivation technology with predictive monitoring to grow a diverse array of crops and plants that would not otherwise survive in a traditional indoor farming setup.

As BioPod evolves, Interstellar Lab will use the virtual twin to experience and monitor the dome’s operations and maintenance, and gather data around food production and the environment. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will also facilitate communication with suppliers as the company designs future modules and scales up manufacturing and outsourcing, and enable Interstellar Lab to create photo-realistic renderings from BioPod’s 3D model, to communicate its vision.

"Innovators are shaking up traditional industry dynamics in the race to explore space with new concepts defining the future of aerospace systems,” said David Ziegler, Vice President, Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systèmes. “The 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables them to integrate technology into product development and accelerate the product lifecycle from concept to certification using the same tools that larger companies use, without the overhead. They can engage in virtual twin experiences to optimize their ideas, gain critical first-to-market advantage, and introduce more sustainable ways to live and explore."

China Lands Its Robotic Spacecraft on Mars

China just successfully landed robotic spacecraft Tianwen-1, consisting its first rover called 'Zhurong', on Mars to become only the second country to do so after the United States.

Tianwen-1 reached the surface of the Red Planet Friday (May 14) at approximately 7:11 p.m. EDT (2311 GMT), though Chinese space officials have not yet confirmed the exact time and location of touchdown. Tianwen-1 (which translates to "Heavenly Questions") arrived in Mars' orbit in February after launching to the Red Planet on a Long March 5 rocket in July 2020.

If all systems remain functional, the lander would deploy the rover, which is designed to explore the surface for 90 Martian days.

Zhurong, which is a 6-wheeled rover, has a size of NASA's twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, carries six scientific instruments on board, including two panoramic cameras, a ground-penetrating radar and a magnetic field detector. It also has a laser that it can use to break-off rocks and study their composition, as well as a meteorological instrument to study the climate and weather on Mars.

China is now the second nation to successfully land a Mars rover. The U.S. has had nine successful landings on Mars since 1976. The Soviet Union landed on the planet in 1971, but the mission failed after the craft stopped transmitting information soon after touchdown. The European Space Agency (ESA) has attempted two Mars landings, but both spacecraft crashed.

First Ever Audio Clip Recorded On Mars

After capturing the first ever colored photo of the planet Mars, NASA has now recorded the first ever audio clip on Mars. But there's a catch the sound captured do not belongs to Mars or any of the Martian entities but of the blades of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter under NASA's Mars Exploration Program called 'Perseverance rover'.

According to the NASA, this is for the first time, a spacecraft on another planet has recorded the sounds of a separate spacecraft. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its SuperCam microphone to listen to the Ingenuity helicopter on April 30, 2021

The Perseverance rover recorded Ingenuity’s fourth flight on Mars, capturing video – as well as audio – for the very first time, making history as a spacecraft on another planet recorded sounds from another spacecraft nearby,” NASA revealed via Twitter. 

I’ve seen what the #MarsHelicopter can do – and now I’ve heard it.

🎧 Grab headphones and listen to the otherworldly hum of Ingenuity’s blades as it headed south to scout a new area on its fourth flight.

How I captured both sight and sound: https://t.co/95J9X3bcyO pic.twitter.com/Lw44x7kqYZ

— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) May 7, 2021

Spinning at 2,537 rotations per minute, the Ingenuity helicopter's blades make a whirring noise as the Perseverance records video and audio from 262 feet away. To make it easier to hear, NASA tweaked the file to isolate the 84-hertz frequency sound clip.

The Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, is NASA's technology demonstration to test powered, controlled flight on another world for the first time.

Here's How Elon Musk Will Colonize Mars By 2024

Tesla Motors' Elon Musk has been trying to redefine transportation on earth as well as in space since a long time. In a step forward towards that direction, the South African-born Canadian American business magnate recently unveiled his plans of colonising Mars and how he aims to achieve the same. In addition to the Mars project, Musk enthusiastically also talked about how rockets can be used to transport people anywhere on Earth in under an hour.

Taking the podium at the International Astronomical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, Musk revealed that he has conceived a business plan for pumping money in his ambitious new spaceship called the “Big Fucking Rocket” or BFR.



Musk aims to achieve his mission by cannibalising every other SpaceX spacecraft—the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon and then resembling all the resources extracted from the drive into a new spaceship.

“We can build a system that cannibalizes our own products, makes our own products redundant, then all the resources we use for Falcon Heavy and Dragon can be applied to one system,” Musk said.

For the uninitiated, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, Space X designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company aims to revolutionise space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft delivered cargo to and from the International Space Station — a challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.

In 2017, SpaceX successfully achieved the first reflight of an orbital class rocket – a historic milestone on the road to full and rapid rocket reusability.

Coming back to BFR, Musk revealed that 48-meter tall rocket will be used not only to send people to Mars, but also to establish a lunar colony on the Moon, send satellites to space, replace airplanes for long-distance Earth travel and service the International Space Station (ISS).



According to Musk, the rocket, which is still in its early stages of production, has potential of becoming a viable means for interplanetary travel some years down the line. A short video showed a cryo tank with 1,200 tons of liquid oxygen exploding in a stress test, but only after reaching a level what Musk believes will be sufficient for a trip to Mars.

BFR, according to Musk, will have the “highest thrust rate engine of any kind ever made,” with 31 Raptor engines, which is a decrease from the 42 engines Musk pitched for the Interplanatary Transit System last year.

With BFR, Musk’s final goal is to colonize Mars, but he does acknowledge that we’re still far away from realising that scenario. According to Musk, one would require thousands of rockets and tens of thousands of refill operations to establish a self-sustaining base on Earth’s neighbour, Mars. Currently, about 60 orbital launches occur on Earth every year.



Musk also revealed that measuring 9 meters in diameter, the rocket would have enough space to house 40 cabins, large common rooms, a galley, central storage area, and a solar storm shelter. According to Musk, the rocket is large enough to fit “a stack of Falcon 1 rockets” in its payload bay. Drawing an everyday analogy, Musk shared that BFR is greater than the double-decker Airbus A380.

The Tesla boss’ plans to store enough fuel to get the rocket to Mars is pretty simple. He wants to launch off the BFR straight from Earth with a 150-ton tank and meet a tanker in orbit for complete re-fueling purposes. Musk is optimistic that with this, the BFR will be successfully able to reach Mars without making any additional stops on the way.

The conference also saw Musk sharing his vision of how the BFR will be able to service the ISS and shoot satellites into space. He then also demonstrated a concept for establishing a lunar base.

Musk also shared his plans to build a society on Mars. According to the timeline revealed by him, there will be two cargo missions to Mars by 2022 and four (two cargo, two crewed) missions by 2024.

First opportunity to land BFR with cargo on Mars is 2022, followed by BFR crew and cargo missions to Mars in 2024—supporting the creation of a permanent, self-sustaining human presence on Mars.

A post shared by SpaceX (@spacex) on Sep 28, 2017 at 10:57pm PDT

Explaining his fascination with colonising Mars, Musk revealed that he’s doing this simply because it “beats the hell out of being a single-planet species.”

“The future is vastly more exciting and interesting if we’re a space-faring species and a multi-planetary species than if we’re not,,” said Musk. “You want to be inspired by things. You want to wake up in the morning and think, ‘The future’s going to be great’,” he added.

At the conference, Musk also showed a concept video about how BFR could take humans on most long-distance trips around the Earth in less than 30 minutes, and anywhere in under an hour.

This development was first reported in DailyDot.

Here's How Elon Musk Will Colonize Mars By 2024

Tesla Motors' Elon Musk has been trying to redefine transportation on earth as well as in space since a long time. In a step forward towards that direction, the South African-born Canadian American business magnate recently unveiled his plans of colonising Mars and how he aims to achieve the same. In addition to the Mars project, Musk enthusiastically also talked about how rockets can be used to transport people anywhere on Earth in under an hour.

Taking the podium at the International Astronomical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, Musk revealed that he has conceived a business plan for pumping money in his ambitious new spaceship called the “Big Fucking Rocket” or BFR.



Musk aims to achieve his mission by cannibalising every other SpaceX spacecraft—the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon and then resembling all the resources extracted from the drive into a new spaceship.

“We can build a system that cannibalizes our own products, makes our own products redundant, then all the resources we use for Falcon Heavy and Dragon can be applied to one system,” Musk said.

For the uninitiated, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, Space X designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company aims to revolutionise space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft delivered cargo to and from the International Space Station — a challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.

In 2017, SpaceX successfully achieved the first reflight of an orbital class rocket – a historic milestone on the road to full and rapid rocket reusability.

Coming back to BFR, Musk revealed that 48-meter tall rocket will be used not only to send people to Mars, but also to establish a lunar colony on the Moon, send satellites to space, replace airplanes for long-distance Earth travel and service the International Space Station (ISS).



According to Musk, the rocket, which is still in its early stages of production, has potential of becoming a viable means for interplanetary travel some years down the line. A short video showed a cryo tank with 1,200 tons of liquid oxygen exploding in a stress test, but only after reaching a level what Musk believes will be sufficient for a trip to Mars.

BFR, according to Musk, will have the “highest thrust rate engine of any kind ever made,” with 31 Raptor engines, which is a decrease from the 42 engines Musk pitched for the Interplanatary Transit System last year.

With BFR, Musk’s final goal is to colonize Mars, but he does acknowledge that we’re still far away from realising that scenario. According to Musk, one would require thousands of rockets and tens of thousands of refill operations to establish a self-sustaining base on Earth’s neighbour, Mars. Currently, about 60 orbital launches occur on Earth every year.



Musk also revealed that measuring 9 meters in diameter, the rocket would have enough space to house 40 cabins, large common rooms, a galley, central storage area, and a solar storm shelter. According to Musk, the rocket is large enough to fit “a stack of Falcon 1 rockets” in its payload bay. Drawing an everyday analogy, Musk shared that BFR is greater than the double-decker Airbus A380.

The Tesla boss’ plans to store enough fuel to get the rocket to Mars is pretty simple. He wants to launch off the BFR straight from Earth with a 150-ton tank and meet a tanker in orbit for complete re-fueling purposes. Musk is optimistic that with this, the BFR will be successfully able to reach Mars without making any additional stops on the way.

The conference also saw Musk sharing his vision of how the BFR will be able to service the ISS and shoot satellites into space. He then also demonstrated a concept for establishing a lunar base.

Musk also shared his plans to build a society on Mars. According to the timeline revealed by him, there will be two cargo missions to Mars by 2022 and four (two cargo, two crewed) missions by 2024.

First opportunity to land BFR with cargo on Mars is 2022, followed by BFR crew and cargo missions to Mars in 2024—supporting the creation of a permanent, self-sustaining human presence on Mars.

A post shared by SpaceX (@spacex) on Sep 28, 2017 at 10:57pm PDT

Explaining his fascination with colonising Mars, Musk revealed that he’s doing this simply because it “beats the hell out of being a single-planet species.”

“The future is vastly more exciting and interesting if we’re a space-faring species and a multi-planetary species than if we’re not,,” said Musk. “You want to be inspired by things. You want to wake up in the morning and think, ‘The future’s going to be great’,” he added.

At the conference, Musk also showed a concept video about how BFR could take humans on most long-distance trips around the Earth in less than 30 minutes, and anywhere in under an hour.

This development was first reported in DailyDot.

For The First Time, India To Land On Mars With Help From France

The Indo-France ties seems to be growing stronger than ever. While the French President made waves in India the whole week by being the guest of honour at the country's 67th Republic Day parade, the space agencies of both the countries signed a letter of intent stating that the two will collaborate on India's next Mars mission.

The mission, which will be India's second mission to the neighbouring planet is scheduled to be launched four years later in 2020. It aims to successfully send a satellite into orbit around the Red Planet.

While India's 2020 orbiter is not going to set a lander on Mars' surface, Jean-Yves Le Gall, the president of the French space agency, National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), believes a lander mission isn't too far a task for the country of India.

"After India's Mars orbiter, the next step has to be a lander. A lander on Mars is not easy, but it will be interesting to undertake," said Gall in a statement.

As Gall mentioned in his statement, sending a lander on Mars ain't no easy task. Only three space agencies have attempted a Mars lander in the history of deep space exploration. The three achievers are: the European Space Agency (ESA), the Soviet Space Program and NASA.

Of the three names mentioned above, NASA's lander was the only one that was successful in functioning for longer than 15 seconds after touchdown. In fact, the Curiosity rover, its latest lander, just celebrated its 12th year anniversary of exploration on the surface.

While a lander might be a tough task at hand, but with a partner like CNES, it for sure isn't an unachievable one. Since coming into existence from the year 1961, the agency has made helped in building technology for various big missions like ESA's Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and its Philae lander as well as the Cassini-Huygens mission etc.

All we have to say is, all the best India and France. We hope the ties are forever to stay.

For The First Time, India To Land On Mars With Help From France

The Indo-France ties seems to be growing stronger than ever. While the French President made waves in India the whole week by being the guest of honour at the country's 67th Republic Day parade, the space agencies of both the countries signed a letter of intent stating that the two will collaborate on India's next Mars mission.

The mission, which will be India's second mission to the neighbouring planet is scheduled to be launched four years later in 2020. It aims to successfully send a satellite into orbit around the Red Planet.

While India's 2020 orbiter is not going to set a lander on Mars' surface, Jean-Yves Le Gall, the president of the French space agency, National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), believes a lander mission isn't too far a task for the country of India.

"After India's Mars orbiter, the next step has to be a lander. A lander on Mars is not easy, but it will be interesting to undertake," said Gall in a statement.

As Gall mentioned in his statement, sending a lander on Mars ain't no easy task. Only three space agencies have attempted a Mars lander in the history of deep space exploration. The three achievers are: the European Space Agency (ESA), the Soviet Space Program and NASA.

Of the three names mentioned above, NASA's lander was the only one that was successful in functioning for longer than 15 seconds after touchdown. In fact, the Curiosity rover, its latest lander, just celebrated its 12th year anniversary of exploration on the surface.

While a lander might be a tough task at hand, but with a partner like CNES, it for sure isn't an unachievable one. Since coming into existence from the year 1961, the agency has made helped in building technology for various big missions like ESA's Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and its Philae lander as well as the Cassini-Huygens mission etc.

All we have to say is, all the best India and France. We hope the ties are forever to stay.