Space Race: Advances and Ambitions

Elon Musk continues to push the boundaries of space exploration with SpaceX aiming to send an uncrewed Starship to Mars by the end of 2026. Despite setbacks in recent test flights, Musk remains confident, as he outlined a developmental timeline for the ambitious mission in a video presentation released by SpaceX.

An extraordinary astronomical discovery has been made as scientists have identified a star behaving unlike any previously observed. Located in the Milky Way galaxy, about 15,000 light-years away, the star is flashing every 44 minutes with both radio waves and X-ray emissions, categorizing it as a novel celestial object.

In a significant leap forward, China launched the Tianwen-2 spacecraft. The mission represents China's first attempt to capture asteroid samples and is poised to make the country the third nation to accomplish this feat. This mission underscores China's fast-growing capabilities in space exploration, which include ambitions to send humans to the moon within this decade.

(With inputs from agencies.)