Space race refers to competition amongst nations in space exploration. Between the 1950s and 2000, both the US and Soviet Union invested enormous amounts of money and workforce to build a spacecraft that could take them to the Moon, before its competitors. Technological development saw a massive increase during this race and was used for decades to come. The driving forces behind this space race were national pride and military ambitions. However, after Apollo’s Saturn V landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man to have walked on its surface, the plans changed.

They dreamed of a bigger dream. More participants joined the space race. One of the leading Rocket launching companies SpaceX by Elon Musk emerged with the vision to colonize Mars. ‘His fervent argument was that humanity must spread to a second planet as insurance for long-term survival.’

While initially, the race was between countries, it has now become a race between companies. Which company can develop the technology that would take its country to the Moon, Mars, and Beyond? Will we reach Mars as unexpected as Saturn V reached the Moon? Or will it take years and years of balancing technology and resources before we can start the journey to Mars? Well, the preparation for another venture into space has begun and some of the missions still in the development stages are:

● Artemis by Apollo is expected to reach the Moon with astronauts in 2024.
● OSIRIS-REx mission is underway by NASA to collect samples of the asteroid and analyze the material on earth. The motto is to learn how to establish mining on asteroids, which are considered to be rich in metal. The touchdown on earth with the samples is scheduled for December 2023.
● SLS or Space Launch System by NASA has taken elements from Saturn V in the hopes that it will be the second spacecraft to bring men to the Moon. It will take another one to two years to test SLS.
● Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit or xEMU is a new and more comfortable space suit being developed by NASA for its future space ventures.
● NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talked about the launch of the Crew Dragon capsule and said that “If everything goes according to plan, it will take place in the first quarter of 2020.”
● Starship by Space X is claimed to be a reusable Saturn V. SpaceX has said stated that a cargo version of its Starship could launch satellites from 2021.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos formed Blue Origin in 2000. The company is smaller in scale when compared to SpaceX, but it comes under the eleven companies that are likely to make groundbreaking advancements in the future of space exploration. Both SpaceX and BlueOrigin use spacecraft that are automated and reusable.

This time the race is not about fulfilling promises or beating a competitor; it’s about reaching the Moon, Mars, and Beyond. The technologies are more advanced, the companies are backed up with experience and passion, and the projects are more cost-effective as investors are willing to fund these missions. Space Tourism is attracting many millionaires to these projects, fascinated by the idea of space travel and landing on Mars. There is a new enthusiasm amongst companies to develop technologies that could help to win this fantastic race.