What is Bheem? The Made-in-India house for Mars designed to launch on Starship

IISc researchers have proposed Bheem, a modular habitat concept for astronauts on the Moon and Mars. The design focuses on fitting large living spaces within Starship payload limits while allowing expansion and repairs.The concept envisions a modular, panel-based habitat that could be assembled on the Moon or Mars. (Photo: X/gagan_shux)As India looks beyond Earth and prepares for a future that could eventually take its astronauts to the Moon and Mars, a group of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has proposed a Made-in-India concept for building human homes beyond Earth.Called Bheem or the Bhartiya Extraterrestrial Expandable Modular Habitat, the concept envisions a modular, panel-based habitat that could be assembled on the Moon or Mars after being transported compactly inside a rocket.The research paper has been authored by Mritunjay Baruah, Amogh Jadhav, Bimalendu Mahapatra and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, all associated with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.WHAT IS BHEEM?Unlike conventional space habitats that are launched as large, pre-built modules, Bheem is designed around smaller structural panels that can be stacked efficiently during launch and assembled later into pressurised living spaces. The researchers say the approach could address one of the biggest challenges of establishing a permanent human presence beyond Earth: transporting a large habitat using limited rocket payload volume.The concept has been developed with future missions to both the Moon and Mars in mind, with a particular focus on launch logistics. B.H.E.E.M. — Bharatiya Habitable Expandable Extraterrestrial Habitat.When we returned from our training in Russia, we began the Indian leg of our astronaut training. This involved learning the systems of the launch vehicle and orbital module, along with extensive physical and pic.twitter.com/2Ubt0FiVbj— Shubhanshu Shukla (@gagan_shux) September 1, 2026According to the research, Bheem has been designed around the payload constraints of SpaceX’s Starship, the massive fully reusable rocket being developed for missions to the Moon and Mars.Individual habitat elements are intended to be stacked inside Starship's payload section before being transported to their destination.Once delivered, the panels could be joined together to form different pressurised modules for astronauts.The design begins with a human-centred approach. Researchers studied the activities astronauts would need to perform during long-duration lunar and Martian missions and estimated the volume required for an individual to comfortably carry out those tasks. These activities and spaces were then organised into separate functional modules.The team explored different geometric configurations using simple panels shaped as triangles, squares and pentagons.The resulting structures were compared for their volume efficiency and structural rigidity before selecting suitable designs for the proposed habitat.WHAT MAKES BHEEM CONCEPT UNIQUE?One of Bheem's biggest advantages is flexibility. Its modular architecture could allow habitats of different sizes and configurations to be created depending on the mission.Additional modules could potentially be added as a human settlement expands.The proposed layout is also ambitious. The researchers estimate that a single Starship payload could deploy a Bheem configuration providing around twice the habitable volume of the International Space Station.Beyond creating large living spaces, the panel-based approach could make construction, maintenance and repairs easier. Instead of replacing an entire habitat module, individual structural elements could potentially be repaired or replaced.Bheem remains a design concept rather than an operational Mars habitat, and significant engineering work involving materials, life-support systems, radiation protection and real-world testing would still be required.However, the concept represents an important vision for India's long-term human spaceflight ambitions: a habitat designed in India that could one day help astronauts live not just in space, but on another world.- EndsPublished By: Sibu Kumar TripathiPublished On: Sep 2, 2026 11:28 IST