Space · Daily series
The Race to Mars
Each episode follows a different piece of the puzzle: the spacecraft being built, the companies competing, the science of staying alive on another planet, and the geopolitical stakes. From SpaceX's Starship to NASA's Artemis program to China's ambitions, this is the story of humanity's next giant le
Episodes
- 8Starship's Orbital Refueling Test and ArtemisNASA's safety panel says 22 tanker launches. Musk says six to eight. Nobody has ever done it once.
- 7NASA's SR-1 Freedom: The Nuclear Reactor Headed for Mars in 2028Two days after launch, a fission reactor has to switch itself on in deep space. Nobody has done it in sixty years.
- 6Japan's MMX Mission Launches to Phobos, a Moon of MarsOn October twentieth, JAXA sends a lander to Phobos, aiming to bring home a piece of the Mars system before anyone brings home Mars.
- 5Why Radiation Is the Hardest Problem on the Way to MarsArtemis Two flew through Earth's radiation belts in April twenty twenty-six, on purpose, taking a bigger dose than Apollo. The belts turn o…
- 4China's Tianwen-3 Mission to Bring Back Mars Rocks by 2031China says it will land on Mars in 2030, drill two metres down, and return 500 grams to Earth by 2031. NASA's rival mission was cancelled i…
- 3How NASA's MOXIE Made Oxygen on Mars, and Why It's Not EnoughOver two and a half years on Mars, one machine made about as much oxygen as a small dog breathes in ten hours. The gap between that and a c…
- 2Why NASA Cancelled Gateway and Delayed the Artemis Moon LandingArtemis Two flew in April with four people aboard. Then NASA scrapped the lunar station and pushed the landing to 2028. The reason is a tes…
- 1Why SpaceX Is Skipping the 2026 Mars Launch WindowThe Earth-Mars window opens this November. No Starship is going. The reason is a fuel transfer nobody has ever done in space.