- NASA’s Mars Rover’s daring landing on Mars is one of the most important space stories of 2021.
- The red planet is also a major destination for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the UAE and China.
- Blue origin and Zero 2 Infinity is, among other things, space companies that pay attention.
- Visit the Insider Business Department for more stories.
The year has already started a win, with many important developments in the new space race.
Most striking is the impressive – and terrifying – landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars. It successfully touched the red planet on February 18 and ended up in a deep crater called Jezero.
—NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) 18 February 2021
The result was very satisfying for those who followed the progress of the rover, who had been traveling to his destination for almost seven months. The wanderer continued to radiate photos of his descent back to Mars.
Elsewhere, the UAE space agency released the first photo of Mars taken by its Hope Probe, while China’s Tianwen-1 mission successfully moved into orbit around Mars earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Spanish startup Zero 2 Infinity has big plans to send people with giant helium balloons into space at a cost of $ 132,000.
The relatively cheaper price could lure some prospective travelers away from SpaceX’s Mars mission, which aims to send humans to the planet by 2026. However, some experts have questioned whether this will happen.
SpaceX was also launching many more satellites. It recently sent 60 into orbit, but the Falcon 9 rocket’s launcher did not successfully complete its landing on February 16th.
SS Katherine Johnson, a spaceship carrying cargo to the International Space Station, took off from Virginia on February 20. The ship is named after the brilliant mathematician whose story was portrayed in the 2016 film ‘Hidden Figures’. It arrived at its destination on 22 February.
Eventually, space fans can expect Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin to get more attention. When Amazon’s CEO announced that he would retire later this year, he said he planned to devote more time to the company.
Blue Origin’s website reads: “We are committed to building a path to space so our children can build the future.”