NASA got its giant Space Launch System off the ground for the first time in 2022, lighting up the night in Florida with an incredible stream of flame as it carried the Artemis I mission towards the moon The Artemis III moon landing attempt is central to NASA and the next generation rocket, Starship, is being built by the company.
If certain conditions are met, a test flight can be launched from South Texas. The rocket wasn't ready to fly in 2022. The company has not announced a date for a test this year, but regular ground tests of the equipment indicate it is close to one.
There may be more than one rocket in the sky in 2023. The Atlas V, a vehicle that has been central to American spaceflight for two decades, will eventually be replaced by the Vulcan Centaur. Blue Origin was founded by Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin will use the same engine in its New Glenn rocket, which could have a test flight later this year.
New rockets are expected to be tested by a number of American private companies in the years to come. A test flight of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket is in the works, as well as a test flight of Japan's H3 rocket.
There will be at least one attempt to land on the moon. Ispace launched its M1 mission on a rocket. It is taking a slow, fuel-efficient route to the moon and is set to arrive in April, when it will attempt to deploy a rover built by the United Arab Emirates.
There could be more than one attempt to land on the moon this year.
Private companies have been hired by NASA to carry cargo to the moon. The Intuitive Machines of Houston and Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh are expected to make the trip in the coming months despite facing delays.
Three government space programs may join them on the moon. It was delayed last year, but could be ready in three years. The goal of the Japanese mission is to test the country's landing technologies on the moon. The Russian space agency may try again this year after postponing the Luna 25 mission last September.
We may be able to see more of the universe thanks to a variety of orbital observatory.
Xuntian is a Chinese mission that will be like a more sophisticated version of the Hubble Space Telescope. The universe will be surveyed at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths by the spaceship.
The mission could launch earlier in the year. It will be possible to explain the universe's composition with the help of X-ray astronomy. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a European space telescope may be launched on a SpaceX rocket. The study will look at dark energy and dark matter.
This year, a new spaceship will attempt to become the first to ever go around the moon. The Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer, or JUICE, will launch from an Ariane 5 rocket as early as April 5 to set off to the Jovian system. When it gets to the gas giant, it will conduct 35 flybys of three of the giant world's moons, all of which are thought to have oceans beneath the surface. The largest moon in the solar system will be visited in 2034.
Rocket Lab was founded in New Zealand and is heading closer to the sun. The goal is to send a rocket to Venus. A small probe built by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be tried out by the company's Photon satellite. The mission was supposed to take place in May, but it is expected to be delayed.
There will be two solar eclipses in the near future.
A total eclipse on April 20 will be more of a Southern Hemisphere event with the moon blocking the sun in Australia and Indonesia. It's a good time to be on a boat in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
There will be an eclipse in North America in October. Eclipses of this type are called a ring of fire because the moon is too far away from Earth to completely block the sun. The path of the eclipse goes through Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. There will be a great solar show and a good lead up to the total eclipse that will cross the United States from southwest to northeast.
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