Artists' representation of astronauts on Moon.
The year 2020 witnessed a lot of exciting space endeavours! From launching multiple Mars missions to collecting samples from the Moon and a space rock2020 was an exceptional year for space exploration, despite unprecedented lockdowns due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, with the arrival of the New Year, begins a new space race as countries are gearing up to prove their prowess in cosmic exploration yet again with multiple novel mission launches. As space agencies across the globe fire up the hopes of millions of space enthusiasts, The Weather Channel India has compiled a list of highly anticipated missions of 2021.
File photo: Chandrayaan 2 launch.
Chandrayaan-3: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is once again eyeing to land on the Moon in 2021. Though no date has been fixed yet, Indias Moon mission successorChandrayaan-3may be launched sometime in the first half of 2021. The third lunar mission was earlier scheduled for 2020, but the ongoing pandemic and the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus stalled its launch. In its second attempt, the Indian space agency is aiming to achieve a soft landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, which is least explored to date. Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan 3 will not carry an orbiterbut will include a lander and a rover to study the lunar surface.
Artemis 1: The US space agency NASA is gearing up to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024 and towards this, the first uncrewed test flight is slated for launch in November 2021 under the Artemis program. The mission spacecraft is named Orion, which will be onboard a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The mission will carry 13 small satellites to conduct science and technology investigations. As per NASA: the primary operation goal of the mission is to assure a safe crew module entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery.
Luna-25: The Russian space agency, Roscosmos is also gearing to launch a lander mission named Luna-25 to the Moon by October this year. The mission is said to have nine instruments on board with the main objective of exploring the natural resources present on the Moon. The spacecraft is expected to land on the Boguslavsky craternear the South Pole.
Apart from Chandrayaan-3, ISRO is also aiming to launch its first crewless flight as part of its ambitious human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan by the end of 2021. However, no date has been confirmed by the space agency so far. The mission, which was scheduled for the first half of 2021, witnessed repeated delays due to COVID-19-induced lockdowns. The second crewless flight has also been pushed to 2022.
The two crewless flights are scheduled before the maiden human spaceflight launch by ISRO under the Gaganyaan mission. In one of the crewless flights, ISRO has planned to send a humanoid robot named Vyommitra to the low-earth orbit. The robot will mimic the space crew activities set for the human mission to assess the technology prior to the final mission.
In this illustration, NASA's Mars rover uses its drill to core a rock sample on Mars.
In the 21st century, Mars has been the poster planet in space exploration. The planet is a top contender to being a possible host for future human colonies. Several exploratory missions and scientific studies have pointed to a possibility of ancient microbial life on the red planet. Thus, space scientists dont want to leave any stone unturned in finding clues of life and establishing future human colonies. Exploration missions are the key to achieving this!
In July last yearbetween 20 to 30three distinct Mars missions were launched. All three missionsfrom UAE, the US and Chinaare set to arrive at the Martian vicinity by February 2021. The space agencies have set several scientific goals for the missions. Among many, the main aim of the UAE mission is to study the planets thin atmosphere, while both Perseverance and Tianwen-1 will fetch samples of Martian rocks and soil for further analysis.
Construction of James Webb Telescope.
The launch of the James Webb Space Telescopes is on the cards for this year, after decades of hard work in design and construction of the most powerful space telescope till date. After several delays, it is now expected to be launched this year with a tentative date set for October 31 from French Guyana onboard the European Space Agencys Ariane 5 rocket.
The infrared telescope will not be placed around the Earth orbitlike Hubblebut will be positioned at an L2 Lagrangian point in the Sun-Earth orbit about 1.5 million kilometres away from the planet.
The development of the space telescope is a collaborative work of the US space agency NASA, ESA and Canada. It is designed to study various comic objects present in our solar system, investigate the early galaxies, snap through the dust clouds and aid other cosmic observations. It is regarded to be the largest, powerful and complex space telescope, which will carry forward the legacy of the historic Hubble Space Telescope.
Schematic of the DART mission shows the impact on the moonlet of asteroid (65803) Didymos. Post-impact observations from Earth-based optical telescopes and planetary radar would, in turn, measure the change in the moonlets orbit about the parent body.
Apart from the ambitious Artemis 1 and Mars mission, NASA is also gearing to launch a planetary defence spacecraft called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test or DART. The mission is slated for launch in July this year to test the ability to change the direction of an asteroid, to protect Earth from future collisions. In particular, it will use a kinetic impactor technique to change asteroid motion in space and is expected to experiment on a double asteroid named Didymos. As per NASA, the Didymos primary body is about 780 meters wide, while its secondary body (or moonlet) is about 160-meters in sizesignificant enough to cause large scale impact upon collision with the Earth.
In October, NASA is planning to launch another asteroid mission named Lucy. The mission spanning 12 years will explore 8 different asteroidswith one located in the asteroid belt, and the rest 7 Trojans-asteroids, which share Jupiters orbit. Experts believe that these asteroids are orbiting in these locations since the formation of the solar system and therefore, will help to shed some light on the early history of our solar system.
In 2021, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) will begin the construction of its permanent Space Station complex. The agency is planning to launch the core cabinet module of the space station in the spring of this year. The station is expected to be constructed over 11 missions, which will include manned flights, as well as cargo spaceship flights. It is expected to be operational by 2022. The space station will be placed in low orbit and is estimated to be one-fifth the mass of the International Space Station. Moreover, the Chinese agency has planned over 40 space launches for 2021.
**
For weather, space science, and COVID-19 updates on the go, download The Weather Channel App (on Android and iOS store). It's free!
Read more from the original source:
- Armadillo’s Level 2 LLC attempt coming soon? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Decisions, decisions - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Armadillo versus the weather - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Photos from Armadillo’s Saturday flights - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Armadillo Level 2 Flight 1 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Meanwhile, elsewhere in the LLC race - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Masten gets halfway there - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Xombie photos (finally!) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is the media clowning around? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Galactic Suite “on schedule”? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Scientist Guest Column: Using Commercial Suborbital Spacecraft for Microgravity Chemistry Research - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Building Spaceport Infrastructure: An Overview of the STIM-Grants Program - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Five Years After SpaceShipOne’s Historic X PRIZE Flight, New Challenges Await - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Masten Space Systems Makes Successful Flights to Qualify for $150K NASA Lunar Lander Prize Level 1 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Distinguished Former NASA Astronauts Endorse Commercial Spaceflight in Wall Street Journal Op-Ed - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Chief Praises Commercial Spaceflight, Suborbital Science, & Innovation Prizes in Speech - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- CSF Welcomes Strong Support for Commercial Human Spaceflight in White House Panel’s Report - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Bretton Alexander Appointed to the NASA Advisory Council - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- In November 5th Public Ceremony, NASA to Award $1.65 Million In Prizes for Commercial Spaceflight Successes - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- CSF Congratulates Winners of NASA’s $2 Million Lunar Lander Challenge - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Welcome to the NewSpace Journal - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Some things even Virgin can’t control - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- While you’re waiting for the rollout… - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceShipTwo rollout: initial impressions - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- A couple of pics - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceShipTwo slideshow - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Virgin party’s aftermath - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Investment in Commercial Spaceflight Grows to $1.46 Billion, Updated Industry Study Reveals - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Former Astronaut-Astronomer, Sam Durrance, Joins the CSF Suborbital Researchers Group - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Announces Creation and Initial Membership of Spaceports Council - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- CSF President Bretton Alexander Testifies Before House Science Committee on Spaceflight Safety - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- CSF Vice-Chairman Jeff Greason Testifies Before House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Commercial Spaceflight Regulation - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- So that’s why Aabar invested in Virgin? - December 15th, 2009 [December 15th, 2009]
- More about the Virgin rollout aftermath - December 17th, 2009 [December 17th, 2009]
- Space tourism as “the final undiscovered frontier”? - December 17th, 2009 [December 17th, 2009]
- Orion Propulsion acquired - December 17th, 2009 [December 17th, 2009]
- Spaceport America developments - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- XCOR wins a major customer - December 19th, 2009 [December 19th, 2009]
- Centennial Challenges, Spaceport Infrastructure Grants, and Suborbital Science to Receive Funds from NASA and FAA - December 22nd, 2009 [December 22nd, 2009]
- Video tour of Spaceport America - December 24th, 2009 [December 24th, 2009]
- Virgin’s web traffic planning - December 24th, 2009 [December 24th, 2009]
- List of Speakers Announced for the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in February - December 31st, 2009 [December 31st, 2009]
- Popular Science Features Commercial Spaceflight on January Cover, Discusses NASA Partnerships - January 4th, 2010 [January 4th, 2010]
- Aviation Week honors the “Space Entrepreneur” - January 5th, 2010 [January 5th, 2010]
- “The Space Entrepreneur” Named by Aviation Week Magazine As Its 2009 Person of the Year - January 5th, 2010 [January 5th, 2010]
- Additional notes about Olsen’s book - January 6th, 2010 [January 6th, 2010]
- Registration deadline approaching for suborbital science conference - January 8th, 2010 [January 8th, 2010]
- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver to Keynote the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in February - January 11th, 2010 [January 11th, 2010]
- Cecil Field gets spaceport license – but will anyone use it? - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- Training begins for suborbital scientist-astronauts - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- First Class of Suborbital Scientist-Astronauts Successfully Complete NASTAR Training Program - January 14th, 2010 [January 14th, 2010]
- Is “space tour guide” in your professional future? - January 17th, 2010 [January 17th, 2010]
- What can Florida, Indiana, and others learn from Oklahoma? - January 17th, 2010 [January 17th, 2010]
- Virginia wants money, New Mexico wants laws - January 21st, 2010 [January 21st, 2010]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Responds to the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel’s 2009 Annual Report - January 21st, 2010 [January 21st, 2010]
- CSF Statement on NASA’s Anticipated Announcement of a $6 Billion Commercial Crew Program and NASA Budget Increase - January 29th, 2010 [January 29th, 2010]
- CSF Welcomes New NASA Human Spaceflight Plan, Congratulates Commercial Crew Development Winners - February 1st, 2010 [February 1st, 2010]
- NASA Unveils Commercial Human Spaceflight Development Agreements and Announces $50 Million in Seed Funding for Commercial Crew - February 3rd, 2010 [February 3rd, 2010]
- James Cameron Endorses Commercial Spaceflight, New NASA Plan - February 4th, 2010 [February 4th, 2010]
- Newt Gingrich and Bob Walker Endorse Obama’s New NASA Plan, Urge Bipartisan Support - February 13th, 2010 [February 13th, 2010]
- Blue Origin proposes orbital vehicle - February 18th, 2010 [February 18th, 2010]
- CSF Announces New Research and Education Affiliates Program, Initial Participating Universities - February 18th, 2010 [February 18th, 2010]
- CSF Welcomes Historic NASA Commitment of $75 Million for Commercial Suborbital Flights, Payloads - February 18th, 2010 [February 18th, 2010]
- Suborbital vehicle development updates - February 19th, 2010 [February 19th, 2010]
- Other conference announcements - February 21st, 2010 [February 21st, 2010]
- Bigger prizes to come? - February 23rd, 2010 [February 23rd, 2010]
- Gov. Bill Richardson Endorses Commercial Spaceflight, Obama’s New NASA Plan - February 23rd, 2010 [February 23rd, 2010]
- Over 250 People Attend Next-Gen Suborbital Researchers Conference, 2011 Meeting Planned for Florida - February 24th, 2010 [February 24th, 2010]
- Boston Globe, Nature, New York Times Editorial Boards Among Others Welcoming New NASA Plan - February 25th, 2010 [February 25th, 2010]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Commends New Mexico for Passage of Key Liability Legislation - March 2nd, 2010 [March 2nd, 2010]
- Burt Rutan’s BigThink - March 3rd, 2010 [March 3rd, 2010]
- Brief notes: Soyuz, Virgin, and… iCarly? - March 5th, 2010 [March 5th, 2010]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation 2009 Annual Report Highlights Industry Progress - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- SpaceShipTwo flies, on schedule - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- SpaceShipTwo captive carry flight video - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- Over the Mojave Desert, Suborbital Vehicles Take Flight - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- See WK2 and SS2 fly in New Mexico this October - March 29th, 2010 [March 29th, 2010]
- SA10: Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap update - April 9th, 2010 [April 9th, 2010]
- An evolving Armadillo - April 11th, 2010 [April 11th, 2010]