The most anticipated space events in 2022

Humans have been, are and will always have the ambition to explore the universe, and in fact human's ability to access space and space is greater than ever. Closing a tumultuous 2021, we will witness new journeys, historic experiments to learn about the universe in the coming 2022.

Space science events to look forward to in 2002

1. NASA rocket system's spring inaugural flight

NASA will launch the SLS rocket, kicking off the Artemis era.

In the spring of 2022, we will be waiting for an important event, or at least hopefully from NASA. The US Space Agency will launch a 332-foot (101-meter) high SLS rocket, kicking off the Artemis era. It's expected to be an impressive launch, with the rocket generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust at takeoff - 15% more than NASA's previous Saturn V rocket.

Also during the Artemis 1 mission, a rudderless Orion spacecraft will travel a distance of 450,000 kilometers to orbit the Moon, then quickly return to Earth. The test for Artemis 1 will arrive between March and April, this successful launch will lay the groundwork for the Artemis 2 mission (scheduled for 2023), during which the Orion ship and its crew will travel. circumnavigation of the Moon and back to Earth. Following up, the Artemis 3 mission to be launched in 2025 is expected to involve NASA astronauts landing on the Moon since the first time in 1972.

2. The first flight of the SpaceX spacecraft

Elon Musk believes that the Starship rocket will reach orbit in 2022.

SpaceX is also planning a large rocket in January or February called the "Starship Super Rocket", which can be reused including Super Heavy Booster 4 and Starship SN20 prototypes, height 120. meters - would be the tallest rocket ever built. The rocket will launch from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, move into Earth's orbit, then descend into the Gulf of Mexico, a second stage is down to the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

Elon Musk - CEO of SpaceX said there will be a lot of risks associated with this first launch, and it looks like there is a setback waiting. However, Musk also believes that a Starship rocket will reach orbit in 2022 and there will be about 12 launches will take place during the year. Currently, SpaceX is rushing for its progress with the development of "original" rockets like the implementation of NASA's upcoming Artemis missions on the Moon.

Other rockets expected to make their maiden flights in 2022 include Arianespace's Ariane 6, Blue Origin's New Glenn, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur and Mitsubishi's H3. It seems that the space race of the big guys is getting more and more intense, we will wait together.

3. Boeing CST-100 Starliner 2nd test flight

Boeing is developing the cabin as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

It seems that Boeing is under quite a bit of pressure as all eyes are on them to see if the company is seen as the last to make progress in space with its CST-100 Starliner. Boeing is developing the cabin as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, but it appears to have fallen behind schedule. Not to mention another setback that occurred in October 2021, when Boeing was testing the OFT-2, it looked like the ship needed a refresh as 13 of the 24 oxidation valves in the propulsion system. The train cannot start. The first test of the Starliner in 2019 was said to be "a mess" making this latest incident all the more unacceptable and embarrassing. Boeing is currently looking to launch the Starliner in May 2022.

4. Catching a falling missile with a helicopter

The helicopter is equipped with an extra fuel tank to prolong the journey.

In 2022, aerospace manufacturer Rocket Lab will use helicopters to capture the first stage of a mid-air Electron rocket to bring it back to land and reuse. In April 2020, Rocket Lab successfully tested this idea. This recovery method of Rocket Lab is said to use a parachute to slow down the speed of the rocket booster, while the helicopter will be used to catch the rocket and hold it. The helicopter is equipped with an extra fuel tank to prolong the journey.

5. Busy trips to the Moon

Humans won't step foot on the Moon, but that doesn't mean spacecraft won't. The United States, Russia, India and Japan are all gearing up for missions on the Moon next year. Pittsburgh-based company Astrobiotic is planning to send its Peregrine Lunar Lander Peregrine spacecraft to the Moon at some point in 2022.

Countries constantly send ships to explore the Moon.

The mission is part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative from NASA, which the US Space Agency has also contracted with commercial partners. Among them is Houston-based Intuitive Machines - a CLPS partner - which is currently planning to send its Nova-C lander to the Moon, which they expect to do in the first half of 2022 with the force coming from SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Nova-C can carry a payload of about 100kg to the Moon.

The Indian Space Research Organization after the first test in July 2019 failed with the Chandrayaan-2 mission in its plan to send the Vikram lander to the Moon, they will also try again in 2022 and hope hope to succeed with the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Russia is scheduled to send the Luna 25 rover, also known as Luna-Glob-Lander, to the Moon's south polar region in July 2022, with the aim of analyzing "the composition of the polar regolith, and studying the polar regoliths," plasma and dust components of the lunar exosphere," NASA said.

Japan will send the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) to the Moon and be the country's first trip to the Moon. The purpose of the SLIM spacecraft is to test the possibility of a precise landing on the Moon, such as determining a good location for landing and avoiding craters. The probe, developed by the Japan Space Exploration Agency (JAXA), is expected to land on the Moon at some point in 2022.

6. Mars expeditions

In 2022, the European space agency will send a probe to Mars.

This trip to Mars is a joint venture from the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin probe, along with Russia's Kazachok lander, scheduled to launch on September 29. Once on Mars, The Rosalind Franklin will collect surface samples and grind them to a fine powder, which will be sent to the ship's laboratory for detailed chemical, spectral and physical analysis. The spacecraft will be capable of traveling about 100 meters per day on Mars according to the rover's navigation.

Other trips to Mars are expected to come from NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rover, China's Zhurong rover, while NASA's InSight mission will resume operations in 2022 and possibly the last year of the Mars rover. it's because of the difficulty of collecting solar energy.

7. Space exploration trains

Expected around August, NASA's SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will send NASA's Psyche probe into space with the destination of asteroid 16 Psyche - a metal planet containing abundant amounts of nickel and iron. According to NASA, the asteroid "provides a pathway to the history of planetary collisions and the accretion that made them up." This follow-up mission of the Psyche could shed more light on the composition of 16 Psyche, as well as the conditions in which it was formed. Data from the probe will also be used to create detailed maps of the asteroid's surface.

Consecutive space probes are carried out.

Two small NASA aircraft will be provided for this Falcon Heavy launch, but they are headed elsewhere as part of Project Janus. The dual spacecraft will explore the double asteroids designated (175706) 1996 FG3 and (35107) 1991 VH. These binary asteroids would be 'a type of object for which we don't have clear scientific data,' said Daniel Scheeres, the project's principal executive and an astronomer at the University of Colorado. since all available observations come from ground-based telescopes and will not include close-up details, it will provide further insights into the early solar system."

Probes that have already been launched into space will continue to do their job, such as NASA's Juno which will make a flyby near Jupiter's moon Europa on September 29, reducing its orbital period. orbits Jupiter from 43 to 38 days. The Parker spacecraft, also managed by NASA, will make four flybys of the Sun in 2022, before getting closer to it.

8. Astronomical developments 2022

There will be no total solar eclipses in 2022 but only 2 partial eclipses, the first of which is expected to arrive on April 30, best visible from southern parts of South America, and the second will occur on October 25, best seen in the skies over Europe and parts of northern Africa.

A partial lunar eclipse will occur on May 15 and 16, and will be seen over parts of North America and all of South America, while a lunar eclipse on November 7 and 8 will appear mainly over the Pacific Ocean. Positive.