ABOUT US
Mars Society South Asia
Mars Society South Asia (MSSA) is a not-for-profit space advocacy organisation dedicated to advancing the scientific study, exploration, and public understanding of cosmos, in particular, the human exploration and settlement of planet Mars. The organisation focuses on and promotes the applications of robotics in space exploration and interplanetary missions.
Mars Society South Asia (MSSA) is the official chapter of ‘The Mars Society’ for South Asian region, The Mars Society is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting exploration and human settlement on the planet Mars. It was founded in 1998 by aerospace engineer Dr. Robert Zubrin and has distinguished members such as Buzz Aldrin and Peter H. Smith on its board of directors.
The Beginning
Influenced by the work and thoughts of Dr Robert Zubrin Mars Society South Asia was established by Sagar Dhaka and Harshit Sharma, and their associates from various Mars rover teams of South Asia on September 2, 2019.
The ignition point behind this was the success of Indian Rover Challenge 2019. MSSA is also involved in the conduction of various competitions and events to promote and encourage Mars exploration and research. International Mars rover competition Indian Rover Challenge is the flagship event of MSSA which is held annually. To encourage the spirit of innovation and research among undergraduates, a new design based competition known as Indian Rover Design Challenge has been started in May 2020.
Regulatory Authority for Indian Rover Challenge (IRC)
Most of the founding members of Mars Society South Asia are alumni of various rover teams of South Asia. South Asia has been one of the hotspots of Mars rover teams.
Objectives of MSSA
- Broad public outreach to instil the vision of pioneering Mars.
- Provide an effective platform to all the Mars Rover teams of South Asia to test and hone their rover designing and development skills.
- Encourage students of South Asia to utilize their technical expertise in the applications of robotics in interplanetary missions and exploration of the extraterrestrial environment.
- Encourage South Asian participation in space science, engineering and research at education, industry and government level.
Join MSSA
Mars Society South Asia (MSSA) is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization committed to the exploration of the Red Planet. MSSA’s administration and staff are totally committed volunteers working towards the goal of an eventual humans-to-Mars mission and human settlement of the planet Mars.
If you have passion for Space and Robotics, here is the opportunity for you!
