Shorts
What happened
NASA has selected a startup called Relativity Space — backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt — to build and launch a spacecraft that will orbit Mars in 2028. If it launches on schedule, it would be the first privately funded mission to ever reach Mars, potentially beating SpaceX there.
Why it matters
The context behind the story.
For most of history, only governments could go to space. Now private companies are racing to Mars. This mission would study the Martian atmosphere, but the bigger story is what it signals: the era of private space exploration is no longer coming — it's here. The race to Mars just got a new competitor.
Takeaway
A private company might beat SpaceX to Mars. The space race just stopped being about countries.
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