[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] On the 19th, NASA's fifth Mars exploration rover, Perseverance, successfully landed on Mars, marking the full-scale resumption of human space exploration and development, which had slowed due to COVID-19. Perseverance is set to carry out critical missions such as investigating whether life ever existed on Mars and analyzing its geological structure. Let's also take a look at other must-watch space exploration and development events scheduled for this year.
▲ Crowded Mars Orbit
In addition to Perseverance leading the Mars exploration mission, China's Tianwen-1 and the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Amal spacecraft are also waiting in line. Tianwen-1 and Amal, both launched in July last year, successfully entered Mars orbit on the 11th and 10th respectively. Among them, Tianwen-1 plans to attempt a Mars landing in April. Amal will remain in orbit conducting remote exploration, including investigating the causes of hydrogen and oxygen loss in the Martian atmosphere. On the 14th, it sent back its first photos of Mars since entering orbit.
▲Boeing's 'Starliner' parachute test was successfully completed at the end of February. [Photo by NASA]
▲ Boeing Space Shuttle Test Flight
The Boeing space shuttle test flight scheduled for March is also attracting attention. The space shuttle "Starliner," produced by Boeing, previously failed to reach the space station on an unmanned flight in December 2019 due to a software malfunction. Success in this test flight is essential for sending astronauts to the International Space Station by the end of the year.
▲ Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Launch
Private space development companies will begin providing cargo transportation services to the Moon (CLPS). In June, 28 payloads, including 14 from NASA, will be sent to the Moon aboard the Vulcan Centaur rocket. Additionally, in October, other payloads including five from NASA will be transported to the Moon using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, developed by Elon Musk's company.
▲The Juno probe safely entered Jupiter's orbit on the 4th. [Photo by NASA]
▲ End of Jupiter Exploration Mission by Juno
NASA's Juno spacecraft, which entered Jupiter's orbit after a five-year flight, will complete its mission and enter Jupiter's atmosphere to be destroyed on July 30. Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 5, 2011, Juno traveled 2.8 billion kilometers over five years to reach Jupiter's orbit, where it has been orbiting at a distance of 4.3 million kilometers, conducting missions such as measuring the amount of water. However, NASA is reportedly considering extending Juno's lifespan by sending it to one of Jupiter's moons for exploration missions until 2025 instead of destroying it in the atmosphere.
▲The world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik. [Photo by NASA]
▲ Russia Resumes Lunar Exploration
Russia plans to send Luna 25 to the Moon's south pole in October. Russia had halted lunar exploration since Luna 24 in 1976. Recently stimulated by the U.S. Artemis program and China's lunar exploration projects, Russia is now actively resuming lunar exploration. Luna 25 will test landing technologies intended for future robotic missions and carry various research instruments on the lander to analyze the lunar soil.
▲ First Private Citizen Space Travel
SpaceX's Axiom Space-1 project plans to send private citizens to the International Space Station (ISS) in November, where they will stay for more than eight days. This project is the first-ever private mission to Earth's orbit and the ISS, and it is also SpaceX's first mission to send private astronauts into space.
Hubble Space Telescope (Photo by NASA)
▲ James Webb Space Telescope Installation
This year, the installation and activation of the James Webb Space Telescope, which will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope, will be actively pursued. Equipped with state-of-the-art infrared instruments, the James Webb Space Telescope will play a significant role in analyzing the atmospheres of distant exoplanets and investigating biochemical traces that may have been caused by extraterrestrial life.
▲ Artemis Project Intensifies, Unmanned Lunar Landing Attempt
The U.S.-led multinational lunar landing project "Artemis" will also be in full swing this year. NASA plans to conduct an unmanned flight of the Orion lander to the Moon and back in November. This project will test Orion's hardware, software, and life support systems, as well as measure radiation exposure levels that astronauts might encounter to ensure safety.
Two astronauts conducted experiments on space living, work, and health maintenance aboard the experimental space station "Tiangong 2," along with experiments in space medicine, space science, space application technology, and repair and maintenance technology. They safely returned on November 18 last year (local time) (Photo by AP).
▲ Construction of Chinese Space Station
China will accelerate the construction of its space station, Tiangong, this year. The installation of orbital modules will begin, with construction work planned to continue over the next two years. China plans to conduct 11 rocket launches over the next two years to transport equipment, modules, and personnel for the space station construction, with the first mission scheduled for this year. Once completed, Tiangong will be a facility capable of supporting three astronauts for at least ten years.
Additionally, companies pursuing commercial space travel?Blue Origin, Virgin Orbit, and SpaceX?will conduct test launches of their respective rockets: LauncherOne, New Shepard, and New Glenn.
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