Almost sixty years on from both JFK and Star Trek iconically referring to it as such, space is still the final frontier. But it’s also changing. With the first orbital satellite launch from Scottish soil due later this year and Elon Musk’s Starship rocket aiming to take people to Mars in the 2030’s; space exploration is no longer the domain of governments or national and international agencies. And that just makes it even more exciting.

A University of Aberdeen podcast, in this episode of ‘Inside the Headlines’ we hear from Professor Javier Martin-Torres, theoretical physicist and personal chair at the School of Geosciences; and Dr Maria Manoli, lecturer in space law at the University’s School of Law about the current international mission to Mars and how space exploration and the law surrounding it is changing as private companies take over from government agencies.