India Gears Up For Space Exploration As Elon Musk Plans Human Colony On Mars

As Elon Musk's ambitious plan for a human colony on Mars went viral, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) started preparing for its own interplanetary missions to Mars and Venus. While Musk aims to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars in the coming years, India's space agency, ISRO, is now focusing on sending an orbiter to Venus and a rover to Mars.

Recently, ISRO director Nilesh Desai outlined plans and stated, "As a part of the Mars mission, we will not only put a satellite on the Mars orbit but we will also attempt to land on its surface. The government has also given approval to construct India's own space station. As a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to land on the moon by 2040, our space station will function as a transit facility en route."

Elon Musk's Plans for Mars

Meanwhile, Elon Musk's SpaceX is working towards establishing a human settlement on Mars. According to Elon's X post, they are all set to launch around five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars over the next two years.

Commenting on the expected launch, he said, “No matter what happens with landing success, SpaceX will increase the number of spaceships travelling to Mars exponentially with every transit opportunity. We want to enable anyone who wants to be a space traveller to go to Mars! That means you or your family or friends—anyone who dreams of great adventure.”

As a result, it is clear that as space agencies throughout the world continue to push the boundaries of space research, India's plans for Venus and Mars are a welcome addition to the growing list of interplanetary projects.