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A team of scientists want to build a 'Solar System Pony Express' to improve communications between Mars and Earth.

The 'Pony Express' was a messaging system used in the US around 1860, where a chain of horse riders would rapidly relay messages between stations across the country

Astronomer Robyn Woollands wants to do something similar in outer space by creating a chain of satellites connecting Earth to Mars.

READ NEXT: You can now ride to space in a hot air balloon – if you've got £148,000 lying around

The 'Solar System Pony Express' (SSPE) would hypothetically make it much easier to send messages to spacecraft throughout the Solar System.

Currently, NASA relies on the Deep Space Network, which uses a range of land-based equipment to send messages out to its craft.

However, this is very limited in terms of speed and bandwidth due to the enormous distances that the data has to travel.

The SSPE would use small spacecraft called 'data mules' that could carry messages to other spacecraft quickly, overcoming the limitations of the Deep Space Network.

The mules could arrive in Mars' orbit and receive messages from a probe, then carry this data back to receivers on Earth.

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This would use far less resources by taking advantage of the gravitational pull of the Sun, Earth and Moon and using ion engines, which are much more effective than typical spacecraft engines.

Robyn Woollands, co-author of the research in the journal Acta Astronautica, said: "The Solar System Pony Express is a mission concept that aims to augment the data transmission capabilities of the Deep Space Network using the ideas of data mules."

This isn't the only novel space exploration idea floated this week. One Japanese company has announced it will begin offering hot air balloon trips to the edge of space for a bargain price at £148,000. Trips begin next year.

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