ISRO is already working towards making their ambitious Gaganyaan mission come to fruition in which Indian astronauts will be sent to space, but now the space agency has also drawn up a list of experiments to be performed prior to that main mission.

ISRO is looking at a group of 10 experiments to be performed in low earth orbit, where it intends to send astronauts.

The experiments could include testing of medical equipment or micro-biological experiments such as biological air filters or biosensors, life-support, and biomedical waste management. 

In other news, the world is caught in a vicious circle. As it grows hotter, people turn up their air conditioning but as they turn up the air con, the world grows hotter. And so it repeats and repeats.

But now there might be hope: a new technology produced by scientists from the US and China could literally shed light in the dark – and not just any dark either, but the vast emptiness of space.

Researchers from Stanford University have invented a new kind of solar panel technology that harvests light from the Sun but also converts it into electricity (like conventional panels do). However, this new tech can also beam excess heat into space simultaneously.

Shanhui Fan, an electrical engineer and the senior author of the new research explained that they built the first device that could one day make energy and save energy, in the same place and at the same time, by controlling two very different properties of light.

Moreover, when it comes to companies who launch small satellites, Rocket Lab, a tenacious American startup just set the bar.

The company's Electron rocket launched six small satellites -- also known as smallsats -- into a low-Earth orbit from New Zealand on Sunday. This marks the second time the company's rocket, which is under 60 feet tall, has accomplished that.

Rocket Lab's competition has not yet achieved an orbital launch, meaning Rocket Lab is at the front of an increasingly crowded group of rocket startups that intend to launch smallsats for both researchers and businesses.

Lastly, Jim Bridenstine, NASA’s chief has stated that the moon could be the next space destination for American astronauts. However, Mars is still an enticing destination. 

On Monday, Nov. 8, a group of reporters, scientists, politicians, and space enthusiasts met at National Geographic headquarters to celebrate and talk about Season 2 of the National Geographic series "Mars" and the Project Mars competition's film and poster winners. 

Bridenstine talked to the crowd, explaining that he was excited about the return of the Mars competition, and the initiatives taken by the U.S. to return to the moon and then the Red Planet. 

What do you think about the future of space? Will smallsat technology change things? Do you think NASA will actually house humans on Mars? If so, why and how?

Let us know in the comments below!