Nations undertake expeditions to enhance our comprehension of astronomy and the cosmos’ mysteries.
A wave of exhilarating space endeavors is poised to commence in 2022.
This year promises the unveiling of initial visuals and scientific findings from the recently deployed James Webb Space Telescope; a novel mission will embark on exploring an uncharted celestial body, and a NASA probe will be intentionally steered into a collision with an asteroid moon.
The sheer volume of space missions launched in 2021 assures a year brimming with groundbreaking discoveries across our solar system… and farther afield.
Multiple nations are strategizing for 2022 to mark the year robotic explorers are dispatched to the Moon, concurrently planning for humanity’s future return to the lunar surface.
- Anticipated highlights of our 2022 space exploration endeavors:
Mars investigation
Mars captivated global attention in 2021, with three missions from diverse nations arriving at the red planet earlier this year, and fascination with the planet continues to grow.
Prepare for more awe-inspiring flights by NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, which continues to operate robustly beyond its projected lifespan, and the commencement of the Perseverance rover’s examination of fascinating remnants of an ancient Martian river delta, starting in the summer.
Collected samples might unveil the presence of organic molecules linked to life’s signatures, or even microfossils, on Mars.
Another robotic explorer is also slated to land on the red planet. Europe’s inaugural planetary rover is launch-ready.
The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, a collaborative project between the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, is expected to commence its journey in September. Its original July 2020 launch was postponed due to coronavirus-related concerns and spacecraft component preparation challenges.
ExoMars’ wider program incorporates the Trace Gas Orbiter, launched to Mars in 2016 and transmitting scientific data. The Trace Gas Orbiter will also relay data gathered by the rover upon its Martian touchdown.
After its September launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, the ExoMars rover will traverse space for nine months before reaching Mars on June 10, 2023. Its landing site will be Oxia Planum, a region north of the Martian equator.
Oxia Planum contains layers of clay-rich minerals formed under humid conditions 4,000 million years ago.
The mission’s objective is to search for evidence of past or present Martian life and examine its water history. The rover boasts the capability to drill below the Martian surface to a depth of 2 meters, where scientists hope to discover traces of life.
Across the solar system
Anticipate more breathtaking images from NASA’s Juno mission, orbiting Jupiter since 2016. During its extended mission, the probe is shifting its focus to observe some of Jupiter’s 79 moons. In September, a close flyby of one of its most intriguing moons is planned: Europa.
Europa captivates scientists due to its subsurface global ocean, potentially harboring life. Periodically, plumes of ice erupt into space. Juno might capture these events.
The initial
This year marks the agency’s inaugural large-scale trial of this groundbreaking technology for planetary protection. While this asteroid and its satellite present no Earthly danger, it serves as an ideal testbed for asteroid deflection techniques.
LICIACube, or Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids—a supplementary cubic satellite furnished by the Italian Space Agency—will chronicle the collision. Three minutes post-impact, this CubeSat will perform a flyby of Dimorphos, capturing visual records.
Broadcast to Earth, impact footage promises to be “quite exhilarating,” according to Elena Adams, the Dart mission’s systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Lunar Focus
Numerous entities aim to deploy robots to Earth’s satellite in 2022.
The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) plans to dispatch its Chandrayaan-3 probe on a lunar endeavor in 2022.
Launched in October 2008, the initial Chandrayaan mission marked India’s maiden unmanned lunar expedition.
NASA reports the orbiter played a pivotal role in the discovery of water molecules on the lunar surface. Although its operations ceased in 2009, the craft’s position was pinpointed in 2017.
In 2019, Isro attempted a Chandrayaan-2 landing near the lunar south pole, but the mission faltered following communication loss with the lunar lander. NASA subsequently located the impact zone and resulting debris field.
Fortunately, the mission’s orbiter remains operational, continuing to orbit the Moon. This orbiter will serve as a communications relay for Chandrayaan-3, which will deploy a lunar landing module and a rover, mirroring Chandrayaan-2.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency anticipates launching the Slim (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) mission in 2022.
This compact spacecraft aims to showcase precise lunar landing methods, forming a foundation for future lunar explorations. It will also return a lunar sample to Earth.
Russia is also proceeding with its Luna-25 mission in 2022, its first lunar mission since 1976. Its landing site will be near the Moon’s south pole, in the Boguslavsky crater, utilizing scientific instruments and cameras for environmental study.
Human Spaceflight Preparations
China will finalize its space station in 2022, while NASA and Roscosmos crews will continue transit to and from the International Space Station. The European Space Agency will also reveal its new astronaut cohort in November.
With India anticipating its inaugural crewed spaceflight in 2023, the Indian Organization for Space Research will launch the first two Gaganyaan unmanned missions this year to assess the vehicle’s performance.
NASA’s Artemis program faces a crucial test in 2022, aiming to land the first woman and person of color on the Moon in 2025.
January will see the stacked spacecraft and rocket undergo a final comprehensive test, encompassing all propellant loading procedures and launch countdown—essentially, a full launch rehearsal, sans actual launch.
The Artemis I launch, an unmanned mission initiating this ambitious program, is slated for March or April.
During its flight, the Orion spacecraft, propelled by the SLS rocket, will
Check out this image!
– NASA (@NASA) December 31, 2021
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