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Futurists and science fiction writers have predicted privately funded missions to Mars for decades, but until recently, the prospect appeared to be decades away. While fully private human missions to Mars are probably not yet practical (given the complexity and cost of such missions), the commercial sector, in partnership with space agencies such as NASA , has a critical role to play in enabling a human presence on Mars. Whether that possibility becomes reality will depend on the choices we make today about public leadership, commercial engagement, and international collaboration.

The role of national space agencies is not limited to funding missions . They maintain the research ecosystems, testing facilities, safety standards, planetary-science programs, and international partnerships that commercial industry builds upon.

However, no single agency — not even NASA — can develop all the technologies, supply chains, transportation systems, life-support tools, digital platforms, and surface infrastructure needed to move from exploration to sustained settlement. Commercial participation is therefore not "nice to have"; it is the engine that will turn Mars from an aspirational destination into an achievable, economically grounded frontier. While NASA has an extraordinary repository of knowledge and expertise from which to draw, commercial industry can deploy more "outside the box" thinking and a somewhat higher risk tolerance that can yield more nimbleness. Working together should deliver the best of both worlds.

The role of private and public partnerships to explore Mars will be discussed at the 2026 Human sto the Moon and Mars Summit in Houston. (Image credit: Explore Mars) Public-private partnerships between NASA and industry demonstrate today's commitment to building a platform for a vibrant and multisided commercial space economy. Over the last two decades, NASA introduced programs such as the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), and the Human Landing System (HLS) program.

While these programs have faced challenges (such as the continuing delays in developing a system capable of safely landing humans on the moon), they have succeeded in producing new cargo vehicles to supply the International Space Station (ISS), the only new operational crew vehicle yet to reach the ISS (SpaceX's Dragon capsule), and the first commercial robotic landers on the lunar surface. NASA also just awarded over $1 billion in contracts to start developing infrastructure needed to build the planned Moon Base .

Public-private Mars missions

Not all of NASA's commercial partnerships have been focused on low Earth orbit (LEO) or the moon. NASA's ESCAPADE mission , a partnership between NASA, UC Berkeley, Rocket Lab, and Advanced Space, launched on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket in November 2025, using commercially developed spacecraft platforms and streamlined development processes. ESCAPADE is expected to deliver critical knowledge for human exploration about radiation risks, atmospheric escape, and space weather dynamics at a fraction of the traditional cost.

On June 17, NASA also announced a partnership with Relativity Space to deliver the Aeolus atmospheric‑science instrument payload suite to Mars in 2028. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman , "By pairing NASA’s world‑class instruments with commercial innovation and investment, we can deliver more science, more often, and reduce the time it takes to get essential data into the hands of researchers preparing for future human missions to Mars ."

In 2025, NASA also announced a new, highly ambitious, public-private partnership program: Commercial Mars Payload Services (CMPS). By challenging the commercial aerospace industry to deliver payloads and communications relays to both Mars orbit and the surface, CMPS may create efficiencies that could enable the development of lunar and Mars architectures in parallel, which is essential if we hope to land humans on the Red Planet anytime soon. However, with the realignment of NASA's Artemis Program , as well as budget disagreements between the Administration and Congress, the future of CMPS remains unclear.

Even with a large amount of funds entering the commercial space industry (such as the recent SpaceX IPO ), a critical part of this equation is NASA's role as an anchor tenant, which was key to transforming commercial space in LEO and is now poised to do the same for Mars. When NASA commits to purchasing services rather than owning the entire stack (imagery, transportation, surface mobility, communications, in-situ resource utilization), it sends a powerful signal to the market: there will be customers, there will be demand, and there will be revenue beyond any single mission.

That stable early demand empowers companies to raise capital, build technologies, and develop capabilities that would be far too risky or expensive to pursue on speculation. Firms collaborating with NASA could then sell similar capabilities to other U.S. and international agencies, research institutions, and eventually commercial customers. By serving as a guaranteed first buyer, the agency catalyzes an ecosystem that becomes self-sustaining over time.

Mars innovation improving life on Earth

Creating a human presence on Mars isn't only about rockets and crew vehicles—and not all projects need cost billions of dollars. A sustainable Mars program will require hundreds, if not thousands, of innovations that protect human health, maintain psychological resilience , and support efficient work in one of the harshest environments imaginable. Mars inhabitants will need to eat, drink, breathe, heal, sleep, relax, and collaborate productively for months or years at a time.

Delivering those capabilities will demand breakthroughs in medical science, mental-health support, agriculture and nutrition, artificial intelligence, autonomy and robotics, biotechnology, circular environmental systems, materials science, design, and more. Importantly, many critical solutions will come from companies that currently do not think of themselves as "space companies."

This is where Mars becomes a driving engine for improving life on Earth . By inviting innovators across sectors — health, food, energy, manufacturing, construction, A.I. and more — to solve Mars-class problems, we accelerate progress on the very challenges that people face on Earth today. Technologies that keep crews alive and thriving on Mars can make our hospitals more resilient, our homes more efficient, our food systems more sustainable, and our workplaces healthier.

NASA's plans for a Moon Base will need private partnerships to pave the way to Mars. (Image credit: NASA) Ultimately, the path to Mars runs through a steady cadence of public–private projects in LEO and here on Earth, as well as missions launched directly to the Red Planet. Every new launch vehicle, propulsion system, habitat technology, food-production method, and autonomous system built for deep-space missions drives jobs, strengthens manufacturing capacity, opens new markets, and builds the technological base here on Earth that keeps the U.S. and its partners competitive. Such benefits to our home planet do not and will not have to wait until we actually land humans on Mars. They are already being felt, and enjoyed, here on Earth today.

This commercial pathway depends on NASA leadership. As NASA prepares to build the Moon Base over the next several years, it should not lose sight of Mars. It must continue to empower public-private partnerships to help enable human missions to Mars as soon as the 2030s.

Now is the moment for action. If we act deliberately in this decade by strengthening public leadership, empowering commercial innovation, and working together across borders, we will not only make a human presence on Mars achievable, but also unlock enduring benefits for life on Earth.

Dr. Tiffany Vora is President of Explore Mars, Inc and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center .

Chris Carberry is CEO of Explore Mars, Inc. and the author of The Music of Space , Alcohol in Space , and co-editor of A Future Spacefaring Society .

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Attention 4K Blu-ray fans! Arrow Films has a huge sale on its 4K Blu-rays, with up to 50% off some discs. You can check out the sale at Arrow Films' site, and there are tons of participating retailers, including Amazon in the US and HMV and Amazon UK in the UK. While stock is slim of some discs, between the different retailers, you should be covered.

Arrow Films US: Browse the full sale

Arrow Films UK: Browse the full sale

Amazon US: See all discounted Arrow discs

Amazon UK: See all discounted Arrow discs

HMV: See all discounted Arrow discs

While there are loads of options in the sale, I've picked my top discs, all of which I've either personally tested as part of our monthly Blu-ray Bounty column, or some that we even own ourselves at TechRadar.

One of my favorites is Dark City , a disc that looks superb on the best TVs , with rich contrast and black tones. Next is Arrow's version of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly , which is the best the iconic Western has ever looked, with impressive textures and bold colors.

Speaking of bold colors, Heathers is great for showing off your display's color reproduction, as is The Mask , one of my reference discs for testing color and for testing the best soundbars.

For our full thoughts on these discs, check out below. These are just our top picks of discs we've tested ourselves, but there are tons of discs in the sale to check out.

Our top picks from Arrow Video's 4K Blu-ray sale - US

Arrow Video

Dark City 4k Blu-ray

Arrow Video

Westworld (1973) 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Video

The Mask 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Video

The Warriors 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Video

Tremors 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Video

Heathers 4K Blu-ray

Our top picks from Arrow Video's 4K Blu-ray sale - UK

Arrow Films

Dark City 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Films

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Films

Heathers 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Films

Thief 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Films

Tremors 4K Blu-ray

Arrow Films

Westworld (1973) 4K Blu-ray

Why I've picked these discs

Dark City

(Image credit: Arrow Films / Future ) Dark City follows the story of John (Rufus Sewell), a man who wakes up with amnesia to find himself under investigation for murder and being hunted by a group of strange beings known as the Strangers.

Dark City looks superb in 4K. Arrow's restoration delivers crisp, realistic textures and inky black levels, plus, there are plenty of high-contrast scenes that really shine on the best OLED TVs . There's a reason this disc has entered my testing rotation.

The disc has both Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD 5.1 MA soundtracks. Speech is clear throughout, and while there aren't any scenes that will really test your home theater, the score's deep, rumbling bass will at times get your subwoofer working.

Heathers

(Image credit: Arrow Video / Future ) Heathers follows the story of Veronica (Wynona Ryder), a high-schooler part of a popular clique of girls called Heather. Veronica begins to date a rebellious, new student called J.D (Christian Slater), who eventually starts to kill students he doesn't like.

The Arrow restoration of Heathers does an excellent job capturing the oft-gaudy aesthetic of the 1980s. Colors are bold and vivid (especially the Heathers' outfits), and there's plenty of refined detail in people's clothing. Textures have been cleaned up nicely, making everything, including people's hair and skin, look lifelike.

This disc comes with three soundtrack options: DTS: HD 5.1 MA; Stereo 2.0 and mono. I used the DTS: HD 5.1 MA in my testing, and it was clean and clear throughout. There aren't many showcase moments, but still, speech is clear, sound is mapped well and there is some impact to effects like gunshots.

Westworld (1973)

(Image credit: Arrow Video / Future ) Westworld is about an interactive theme park inhabited by androids, where patrons can live out the fantasy of life in the Wild West. Eventually, the androids turn on both the staff and visitors of the park. The movie stars Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin and James Brolin.

Westworld looks excellent in this restoration from Arrow. Intricate details, such as the parts of a gun, are defined and realistic, while skin looks true-to-life. Colors are also big and bold in places, such as the red of the brothel's walls. Cinephiles will be happy with the level of film grain retained, too.

There are multiple soundtrack options available, including 4.0, 2.0, 1.0 and 5.1. Using the 5.1 for testing, there's some nice detail, demonstrated by the ricocheting bullets which are well mapped to the surround channels. There's a nice, wide soundstage to give different sounds room to breathe, and speech is clear too.

The Mask

(Image credit: New Line Cinema / Future ) The Mask tells the story of Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey), a bank-worker who discovers a supernatural mask that turns him into a super-powered being. The movie helped launch Carrey's movie career, and was the big-screen debut for Cameron Diaz.

While this 4K disc does have fantastic picture quality, (more on that in a sec), really it's the Dolby Atmos and DTS: HD 5.1 MA soundtracks that shine. As the Mask tornadoes around Stanley's bedroom, through the right sound system, the ensuing chaos is precise and accurately mapped, with refined detail. This is true throughout, whether the Mask jumps around or uses cartoon-ish violence. A seriously-impressive sounding disc.

Visually, The Mask looks great too. Color reproduction is this Arrow disc's main strength, with the Mask's yellow suit looking bright and vivid throughout. Textures have a 3D-like level of detail and there's plenty of scenes with strong contrast and deep black tones.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

(Image credit: Arrow Films / Amazon MGM / Future ) One of the most iconic Westerns ever made, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly follows the Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood), as he, a bandit named Tuco (Eli Wallach), and a mercenary 'Angel Eyes' (Lee Van Cleef) all try to find buried Confederate gold through uneasy alliances and betrayals.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly looks sensational in Arrow's 4K restoration. Detail is organic and lifelike, particularly in close-up shots, that show every scar, bit of stubble and dirt in full clarity. Color really pops on screen when used, and the movie's darker scenes show rich, inky black tones and powerful contrast.

There are DTS: HD 5.1 MA and DTS: HD Mono MA soundtracks on offer. The 5.1 soundtrack is immersive, with precise effects, such as ricocheting bullets, and there's a good hit of bass during scenes with explosions and the rumble of horse's hooves. Speech is clean throughout and the movie's legendary score is balanced and beautiful.

The Warriors

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures / Future) The Warriors, an adaptation of Sol Yurik's novel of the same name, follows the story of a gang in 1970s New York named The Warriors. They find themselves framed for murder, and must make their way back across New York and home to Coney Island, while being hunted by thousands of members from rival gangs.

The Arrow version of The Warriors is excellent. Textures have been uplifted and given a much crisper look, but there's still plenty of film grain, to capture the movie's gritty tone. Colors have plenty of punch, shown best in the opening scene by the different gang's colorful uniforms. Contrast is also strong, and there's plenty of scenes to show this, especially in the gloomy subway platforms.

This Arrow disc contains a Dolby Atmos soundtrack (unlike the Paramount release which only has a 5.1 mix) and it's all the better for it. The soundstage is wide and immersive, effects are clear and there's good impact and accurate sound mapping throughout. The best scene to showcase this is as the Warriors fight the Punks in a subway station bathroom.

Thief

(Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios / Arrow Video / Future) Thief follows the story of Frank (James Caan), a professional safecracker trying to escape his life of crime. It was Michael Mann's ( Heat, Collateral ) feature film directorial debut.

Another fantastic restoration from Arrow, Thief looks brilliant in 4K. There's plenty of scenes with rich, powerful contrast, and a good amount of film grain present for cinephiles. Detail, such as skin, hair and clothing, all look refined and lifelike.

There are DTS: HD 5.1 MA and stereo 2.0 soundtrack options on offer. I used the DTS: HD 5.1 MA for my testing and there was plenty of nuanced detail, such as the whirring of the sale drill, that were delivered clearly. Tangerine Dream's excellent score is balanced, with big, bold synths and fantastic clarity.

Tremors

(Image credit: Universal Pictures) Tremors is about a tiny Nevada town being terrorized by a mysterious underground menace, and it's the definition of a cult classic. It's got a really tight script, and ekes all of its production value from being filmed out in beautiful mountains, mixed with some fantastic practical visual effects.

It's a beautiful transfer that uses HDR to deliver nuanced skies, bright highlights in the sun, and the most ridiculously orange blood and monster bits you've ever seen.

The latter is also delivered in gloriously strong detail and texture, as is the dirt of the countryside as it slides around when a Graboid shifts underneath it. There's a nice grainy softness, but this really makes the most of its 4K upgrade. It sounds great too, but it's the visuals I appreciated most, especially when it comes to admiring the monster effects.

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PARIS — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced on Tuesday that she will run for president next year, despite being sentenced to one year with an ankle monitor earlier that same day.

Le Pen was found guilty by the Paris Court of Appeals of embezzling funds from the European Parliament. She was sentenced to a year of house arrest.

As recently as last week, the far-right leader had said she would not run for president if wearing an ankle monitor. But Le Pen said she would bring the new verdict to a higher court, and this would lift her obligation to wear the bracelet.

“The French people will have the final say,” said Le Pen on French news channel TF1. “We are innocent.”

This is a developing story.

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Everyone likes Subnautica 2. We sure do: after all that drama, it turns out the early access survival sequel is quite good, actually . Players also dig it: it's got smashing reviews on Steam and it sold a million copies in its first hour on its way to more than four million in its first week.

One little point of contention: Subnautica 2 is home to a collection of large, angry alien fish that love to bite you and endlessly headbutt your submarines—and unlike the first Subnautica, players didn't have a knife to fight back with.

And so the controversy arose. Players (some of them, anyway) want to be able to kill these angry, annoying, dangerous fish, but the developers have remained steadfast in their no-killing policy . Modders came up with their own solution, a Subnautica 2 mod where you can kill all the fish you want , but today the game's creative director Anthony Gallegos revealed a new solution: a stun system.

You can already discourage fish from biting by using the sonic resonator, but in tomorrow's 1.1 update, you'll really be able to knock them for a loop.

"We've done some work on the sonic resonator, where a bunch of the creatures now have stun states, so when you hit them with the sonic resonator, you'll see them clearly communicate that they've become stunned," Gallegos said in a Subnautica 2 update vlog.

It's demonstrated in the video, showing a marrowbreach taking a sonic blast to the face and, instead of just turning and swimming away, it goes limp and slowly sinks to the bottom of the sea. Hell yeah. It might not be as satisfying as gutting one with a knife, but it'll still be plenty cathartic to scramble its brains for a bit—though there's no word on how long the stun state lasts.

You can also see more clearly the results of bonking fish with your cute little hammer. "We've done some work around creature flinches, so most of the creatures in the game now have good flinches," Gallegos said. "So, if you smack them with the survival multi-tool, you'll get that reaction out of them before they flee, to really let you see and understand the impact you're having on them."

Another enemy, the blight creatures (which you can kill with the resonator) have been modified a bit, too.

"We're trying to make it that when you encounter the blight creatures around the angel combs, there's a better transition from when they go from a passive to aggressive, and so that you can really feel that and not be as surprised of where creature attacks are coming from, which was a problem we had definitely heard in feedback," Gallegos said.

"That's all in an effort to make you feel like you're having the mitigation of creatures that we want you to feel, which has also been a major part of your feedback," he said.

You can watch the full vlog below, in which Gallegos mentions that new multiplayer features, like proximity chat and a player revive system, won't be in tomorrow's 1.1 update but will come "some weeks after that." Later this year, the "big content drop" will add a new region, vehicles, and story.

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Toyota is moving Tacoma production from Mexico to San Antonio.

Texas plant is getting a $3.6 billion investment to double in size.

Production begins in 2030, and 150,000 trucks can be made annually.

Toyota has announced plans to invest $3.6 billion into its San Antonio plant to establish a second assembly line. It’s expected to become operational in 2030 and create over 2,000 new jobs.

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The new assembly line will build the Tacoma and have an annual production capacity of around 150,000 units. As the mid-size truck moves to the USA, assembly will end at their Baja California plant in Mexico over a roughly four-year period.

More: Tacoma Prices Climb Again, But Toyota Tries To Soften The Blow

Toyota said the investment follows its “best-company-in-town” approach, which sees the automaker “contributing to the local community and continuing offering diverse options tailored to local needs through a multi-pathway approach.”

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The automaker added that the San Antonio site will double in size by growing an additional 2.5 million square feet. The move will enable the Tacoma to be built alongside the Tundra and Sequoia . The campus also recently gained a new rear axle plant, which will begin production soon.

The fate of the Baja California facility remains unclear as it currently only builds the pickup, but it will continue making the model for years to come. Furthermore, Toyota said it remains committed to production in Canada, Mexico, and the United States and is encouraging officials to reach a “quick resolution” to the USMCA trade agreement, which the Trump administration recently decided not to renew .

That’s important as Toyota also builds the Tacoma at its Guanajuato plant in Mexico. It sounds like that facility remains unaffected by the latest development, so trucks will still be made south of the border.

Toyota Motors North America CEO Ted Ogawa said, “Toyota’s continued investment in North America is a testament to our confidence in the region’s workforce, innovation and long-term growth potential. By expanding our San Antonio plant, we are deepening our commitment to American manufacturing, creating meaningful and sustainable jobs, while advancing our mission to deliver high-quality vehicles that meet the changing needs of customers today and into the future.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott noted the expansion was supported by the Texas Enterprise Fund and JETI (Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation) program, which aims to “help Texas stay competitive by attracting new jobs and investment to the state.” He went on to say, “This Texas-sized investment reflects the strength of our workforce and the unmatched business advantages found only in our state” and that the expansion will “deliver economic opportunities to generations of San Antonio families.”

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