![]() The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer, mercifully more commonly known as OSIRIS-REx, is a Nasa mission to near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The success or failure of the dearMoon mission could affect whether deep space tourism becomes the next big thing, or it is relegated back to being a pipe-dream. A full trip of several days poses extreme risks, both in terms of health and engineering. This mission will mark a big change in the way we think about space, as previously only astronauts picked using incredibly stringent criteria have been able to go into deep space (note: we are not counting brief 10-minute jaunts up to 100 km). The winners and criteria used have not been disclosed, although it is suspected the guests may be established or aspiring artists. It will be the first true deep space tourism launch.įinanced by business entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, a competition was set up to select eight members of the public (and an unknown number of crew) to join Maezawa on the trip - all completely paid for. The exact date will depend on the successful test of Starship, but has been on the books since 2018. The long-awaited dearMoon project, which will take members of the public on a six-day trip around the Moon and back, is due for launch on Starship and was originally planned for 2023. This first orbital flight was originally scheduled to launch in September 2022, but has been delayed several times. But the upcoming flight will be the first time the whole system will be used to reach space as one. Several short test flights of the Starship portion of the system have been made with varying degrees of success. ![]() ![]() The upper Starship component will then use its own engines to push itself the rest of the way to orbit. ![]() The rocket component will lift Starship to some 65km altitude before separating and returning to Earth in a controlled landing. Starship is the collective name for a two-component system consisting of the Starship spacecraft (which carries the crew and cargo) and the Super Heavy rocket. It will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever to fly, capable of lifting 100 tonnes of cargo to low Earth orbit. Starship will be the largest spacecraft capable of carrying humans from Earth to destinations in space (the International Space Station is larger, but it was assembled in space). SpaceX StarshipĪlthough no date has been announced by aerospace company SpaceX at the time of writing, the first orbital test flight of the super-heavy Starship spacecraft is highly anticipated to occur in early 2023. The launch window runs from April 5 to April 25. This use of radar is a practical first step in mapping the sub-surface oceans, paving the way for more exotic future missions involving submersible vehicles - some of which have already been put forward. Juice will be equipped with ten scientific instruments including ice-penetrating radar to study the internal oceans. Europa, in particular, is regarded as one of the most likely abodes in the Solar System for extra-terrestrial life. The icy moons of Jupiter are interesting as they are all believed to host oceans of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces. The mission will enter into orbit around Jupiter and perform numerous flybys of its large icy moons: Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.Īfter four years of moon flybys, Juice will then enter into orbit around Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System - becoming the first spacecraft ever to reach orbit around the moon of another planet. Juice is due to reach the planet in July 2031 after performing an incredible flight path through the Solar System. In April, the European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer ( Juice), in what will be Europe’s first dedicated robotic mission to Jupiter. Here are five of the most exciting missions to watch out for. It’s been an eventful year for space exploration, with successes including the completion of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission ( finally), the inauguration of the James Webb Space Telescope and the completion of China’s Tiangong space station.Ģ023 is set to be another busy year. ![]()
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