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Mars has competition from Venus after new study shows signs of life
NASA and SpaceX are simultaneously planning their trips to Mars and the Moon, but a recent study published in Nature Astronomy has brought a different planet into the running for a new near-term exploration mission: Venus.
A team of scientists led by Dr. Jane Graeves of Cardiff University in the UK just announced the discovery of phosphine in the clouds of Venus. This rare molecule is made either industrially or as a byproduct of microbes that live in oxygen-free environments, meaning there’s serious evidence that life may exist on our sister planet.
“This was an experiment made out of pure curiosity, really,” Dr. Graeves detailed to the Royal Astronomical Society. “I thought we’d just be able to rule out extreme scenarios, like the clouds being stuffed full of organisms. When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venus’ spectrum, it was a shock!”
With NASA’s 2020 Mars Rover Perseverance on its way to do some astrobiological science on our red neighbor, this new finding on Venus looks to now have some high-level advocates for prioritized exploration.
“Life on Venus? The discovery of phosphine, a byproduct of anaerobic biology, is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted about the news shortly after its publication. “About 10 years ago NASA discovered microbial life at 120,000ft in Earth’s upper atmosphere. It’s time to prioritize Venus.”
https://twitter.com/JimBridenstine/status/1305598182571810822
Planetary scientist Paul Byrne of North Carolina State University echoed this same sentiment in a quote published by The New York Times. “If this planet is active and is producing phosphine, and there is something that’s making it in the Venus atmosphere, then by God almighty, forget this Mars nonsense,” Byrne opined. “We need a lander, an orbiter, we need a program.”
Similar to thinking about Mars’ ancient past being filled with more Earth-like components such as water bodies (or perhaps not), Venus is thought to have been the home to lakes, rivers, and oceans before a runaway greenhouse effect made it into the hellish landscape it is today. This thinking has partly lead to speculation about the possibility of microbes migrating or developing in the clouds of the planet as ‘aerial’ life where temperatures are much more Earth-like, albeit very acidic. “Finding phosphine on Venus was an unexpected bonus! The discovery raises many questions, such as how any organisms could survive. On Earth, some microbes can cope with up to about 5% of acid in their environment – but the clouds of Venus are almost entirely made of acid,” commented team member Dr. Clara Sousa Silva of MIT.
For planetary science enthusiasts, of course, the idea of looking for life or even a new home for humans in the clouds of Venus isn’t new. Astrobiologist David Grinspoon, for one, has been advocating for the planet’s cause for quite some time. “Venus, this planet where I’ve been proposing for decades that there could be a biosphere in the clouds,” he exclaimed in a recent video chat about the discovery. “I mean, Venus is a place we do not associate with extraterrestrial life… It’s so hot, and so dry, the pressure’s so huge…we think life is gonna be anywhere but Venus. But interestingly if you go 30 miles up into the clouds, it’s rather comfortable in the sense that it’s sort of like room temperature [and pressure] in the room you’re in right now.”
The discovery of phosphine on Venus is also exciting for exoplanet hunting endeavors, i.e., looking for signs of life on planets outside our solar system. “It’s very exciting because phosphine is a gas that should not exist in an atmosphere like Venus’,” Grinspoon explained. “It stands out as an anomaly… Not only that, phosphine has been previously suggested as a very good biosignature that we might find on an exoplanet – a gas that’s made by life. It’s not easy to make in non-biological ways.”
A renewed call for Venusian exploration is already ready to be answered by a few scientists and groups, one notable example being startup launch provider Rocket Lab. As a rocket company focused on dedicated missions for small payloads, Rocket Lab stands as a ready and willing partner for any organization looking to gather more data from Venus directly. In fact, CEO Peter Beck already has plans in the works for the planet most symbolically synonymous with romance.
“I’m madly in love with Venus,” Beck said on August 5th this year during a live streamed company update. “I’m working very hard to put together a private mission to go to Venus in 2023… At the very least, I think it’s a needle-mover even for just a private mission to try and go do something interplanetary. That sends a message to the rest of the world that, ‘Hey, look — we can do these things privately.’”
Another notable mission that’s relevant to Beck and Rocket Lab’s goals for small payload missions to interplanetary destinations was the Mars Cube One companions of NASA’s InSight lander launched in 2018. After traveling the the red planet with the lander, the twin cube satellites were able to send back data and a photo of Mars to Earth. This proved that tiny affordable spacecraft could be used for some serious deep-space science. Perhaps one of the biggest discoveries in our solar system of late could be followed up by an itty bitty mission (respectively)?
You can watch Dr. Jane Greaves, explain the discovery on Venus in detail:
Tesla’s dreams of operating a fully autonomous ride-hailing platform just took a massive step toward reality, as two separate events have indicated the company is perhaps closer than ever to achieving self-driving as a product.
On Thursday, Tesla was granted authorization by the State of Texas to operate driverless vehicles in a commercial manner. On May 28, Senate Bill 2807, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, took effect after being passed back on September 1, 2025.
The bill establishes a statewide regulatory framework requiring authorization from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for companies to operate automated vehicles commercially on Texas roads.
This covers driverless, or SAE Level 4+, operations for passenger transport, meaning Robotaxi, or freight.
Tesla and other companies can self-certify their vehicles and tech as long as they:
- Operate in compliance with Texas traffic laws
- Maintain proper registration, title, and insurance
- Use compliant automated driving systems
- Record onboard activity and handle system failures and glitches safely.
The new authorization, which was first reported by James Stephenson on X, allows companies to utilize their own processes to determine if their vehicles are ready to operate without drivers.
🚨BREAKING:
Tesla has been authorized by the State of Texas to operate driverless vehicles commercially under the new law that took effect today, May 28th, 2026. Tesla has officially self-certified the software running on its robotaxis as Level 4. $TSLA pic.twitter.com/KSJdsvlaW5— James Stephenson (@ICannot_Enough) May 28, 2026
It is a rule that expedites the entire approval process, keeping agencies out of a usually long, lengthy, and frustrating task that is essential to technological advancements. It essentially means Tesla can launch commercial Robotaxi operations at this point.
On the very same day, Tesla continued the momentum as CEO Elon Musk shared a video of Cybercab units autonomously driving off the property at Gigafactory Texas. This is a major step in the story of the Cybercab.
Mass production of the Cybercab started at Giga Texas in April, and it is already heading out of the factory on its own.
Cybercab driving itself out of the GigaTexas factory pic.twitter.com/EwAMVVDjYy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 28, 2026
These two major events mark a drastic step forward in Tesla’s progress toward Cybercab and the permissions it needs to operate a self-driving ride-hailing service. Tesla is now able to operate autonomously under Texas law by self-certifying, and with the potentially imminent rollout of Cybercab, Tesla’s autonomous dreams are starting to take serious shape.
Elon Musk
The Tesla and SpaceX merger everyone is talking about is quietly building
Tesla and SpaceX may be closer to merging than Wall Street or either company is admitting.
Elon Musk has reportedly discussed merging Tesla and SpaceX with people close to him, according to CNBC, which cited sources familiar with the conversation. Tesla employees have long expected such a transaction and the topic is openly discussed internally, according to internal sources. With SpaceX is days away from kicking off its Wall Street roadshow for what could be the largest IPO in market history, this would be the first time the company will have public market currency to execute a stock-for-stock deal with Tesla.
The financial logic for a merger would make sense. A combined SpaceX and Tesla would create a conglomerate spanning rockets, satellites, electric vehicles, AI infrastructure, and energy storage valued at roughly $3.35 trillion to $3.6 trillion based on SpaceX’s IPO target range and Tesla’s current market capitalization. The two companies are already more intertwined than most people realize. SpaceX bought $697 million worth of Tesla Megapack systems for xAI data centers and $131 million worth of Cybertrucks. Tesla invested $2 billion in xAI, which subsequently merged with SpaceX. Past transactions also include Tesla selling solar equipment and parts to SpaceX, and SpaceX helping with Cybertruck materials.
Will Tesla join the fold? Predicting a triple merger with SpaceX and xAI
Musk himself signaled where this was heading in November 2025 when he posted on X, “My companies are, surprisingly in some ways, trending towards convergence.” Tesla and SpaceX announced a joint semiconductor fabrication facility in Austin called Terafab on the Gigafactory Texas campus, covering two advanced chip factories, with one serving Tesla’s AI needs for vehicles and Optimus robots, the other targeting space-based data centers under SpaceX’s infrastructure vision.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives places the probability of a merger at 80% to 90% with a target completion in the first half of 2027. The mechanics of a deal became possible the moment SpaceX filed its S-1. Legal experts said a merger likely would not spark antitrust issues but would raise concerns among shareholders in each company, with questions around which company would be the parent, how a stock swap would take place, and who determines the appropriate price. Musk holds about 20% of Tesla’s equity but controls 85.1% of SpaceX’s voting power through a super-voting share class, meaning he would largely be negotiating the terms with himself.
Not everyone is convinced the timing is imminent. Traders on Kalshi place only 33% odds that a merger will happen before May 2027. The more immediate concern for Tesla shareholders is whether the SpaceX IPO pulls capital and Musk’s attention away from Tesla before any merger consolidates the upside for both.
What is clear is that the structural groundwork is already being laid. The Terafab announcement, the xAI merger, the shared supply chain, the cross-company balance sheet transactions, and now the IPO all point in the same direction. Whether the merger follows in 2027 or later, the two companies are already operating more like divisions of a single entity than independent competitors.
Elon Musk
SpaceX to become America’s Military data backbone for missiles, drones, and warfighters
The Space Force just handed SpaceX $2.29 billion to build the military’s space internet backbone.
The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract on May 26, 2026 to build the backbone of its Space Data Network, a satellite-based communications system designed to keep American military forces connected anywhere on Earth in real time. The contract is firm-fixed-price and requires SpaceX to deliver a fully operational prototype by the end of 2027.
In plain terms, the SDN Backbone is the plumbing behind the military’s space-based internet. It functions as a low Earth orbit satellite constellation providing robust, high-capacity, and low-latency data transport for the Joint Force, connecting sensors and weapons systems continuously, globally, and securely. Think of it as a private, hardened version of Starlink built specifically for battlefield communications, one that soldiers, ships, and aircraft can rely on even in contested environments where ground-based networks have been disrupted.
SpaceX is quietly becoming the U.S. Military’s only reliable rocket
The Space Force was direct about why SpaceX was selected. “The SDN Backbone leverages the best of commercial innovation and delivers a strong foundation for the SDN mission set — a huge benefit and enabler for our warfighters,” said USSF Col. Ryan Frazier.
“We aren’t trading speed for scale; we are demanding both. By using rapid prototyping and Other Transaction Authorities, we are ensuring our advanced solutions are integrated and delivered to the warfighter as fast as possible,” added USSF Lt. Col. Fry, SDN Backbone system program manager.
The SDN Backbone will work alongside the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer, with the two systems forming a unified open architecture to provide critical data transport for current and future Department of War missions.
As Teslarati has reported, this is not SpaceX’s first Space Force contract of 2026. In April, the Space Force awarded SpaceX $178.5 million to launch missile tracking satellites, and SpaceX is already embedded in the Golden Dome missile defense software group. The $2.29 billion SDN Backbone award puts SpaceX at the center of how the American military communicates in space, a position with direct implications for its reported $1.75 trillion IPO valuation as the company heads toward a public offering as early as June 2026.
Tesla’s Robotaxi dreams just took a massive step toward reality
The Tesla and SpaceX merger everyone is talking about is quietly building
