The year 2023 will be very exciting in terms of projects implemented in space. Both government and private space organizations are planning interesting missions and experiments. In collaboration with Maciej Myśliwiec of the AGH Space Technology Center, we’ve taken a look at some of the most interesting ones.
2023 will be the year of the moon. It is in his direction that the eyes of many researchers will be directed. Another interesting challenge is studying asteroids, they provide us with very interesting information, especially about the past of the solar system. You will also start trying to gain new knowledge about one of the gas giants.
In April, the European Space Agency (ESA) plans to launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer probe, which will begin its journey toward Jupiter.
This is a huge planet that affects the entire solar system. You have to remember that they catch most of the asteroids, comets and other things that fly towards the Earth. Jupiter’s gravitational field is so strong that it attracts him – says Maciej Myśliwiec of the AGH Center for Space Technologies.
Jupiter is a gas giant. You can’t land on it. Therefore, its satellites will be in the center of attention of researchers. They are more interesting. He says For example, there must be life on Europa (one of Jupiter’s moons – editor’s note) because it is covered by an ice crust under which there may be water Hunter adds.
The mission will launch this year, but landing won’t be possible until eight years from now.
However, Jupiter or even Mars will not be the most exciting celestial body this year. For several years now, we have seen a growing interest in the Moon.
The Moon is the closest, so you can practice many different elements of space exploration there. The question of landing, arrival and life on the Moon, that is, the long-term stay of astronauts far from Earth. The moon is full of different elements. For example, helium-3, which if we brought it from the moon and hit the earth, could prevent all energy crises. One teaspoon of helium-3 can power New York City for a month. And the third thing – the Moon can also be a launching pad for a flight to Mars.
The Indian Space Research Organization plans to launch its next uncrewed mission to the moon in early 2023, Chandrayaan 3. Its predecessor, the Chandrayaan 2 probe, made a failed soft-landing attempt on the moon in 2019. The new probe is slated to carry a lander and a lunar rover. .
The Russians are also returning to the Moon, a space probe – Luna 25 for landing.
Of course, there are also preparations for the return of man to our satellite. The first manned mission of the Artemis program is scheduled to start in 2024. Its goal is to send people into orbit around the moon. However, this year we will find out who will be among the members of this expedition. When everything goes according to plan, the Artemis 3 mission will end in 2025 with the landing of two astronauts on the moon.
Space research also involved experiments in terms of obtaining raw materials for many years. Interesting from this perspective is the mission of the NASA space agency. In the summer of 2023, the Psyche probe will be launched, whose mission is to explore the iron-rich asteroid of the same name – 16 Psyche.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REX spacecraft is on its way to Earth. It sampled the asteroid Bennu in 2020. In September, the capsule will be returned to Earth. OSIRIS-REx will then embark on its next mission to land in 2029 on the near-Earth asteroid Apophis.
Sample automation is the most logical direction for space research right now. We are able to send cheap samples without having to maintain a crew, without having to supply food and fuel. There’s a chance he could fly back and get us those samples. In past years, these were samples brought back from the Moon. At the moment, the Mars rover located on Mars. Collect samples in these tubes. He arranges them in different places and starts building a place where he will protect these specimens – explains the expert.
At the end of the decade, samples will be collected from Mars. A Polish company is involved in the work on this project.
In space, a lot will also happen with private money. Not only the private sector will be closed to contracts with NASA. She performs her own tasks Maciej Mysliwiec says
American billionaire Jared Isaacman plans to take people into space again. It takes them to the highest orbit since the Apollo program, four times higher than the International Space Station. An astronaut will go out into space for a walk. This will be my first private tour.
2023 is also a whole series of different small projects that are difficult to discuss here in detail. One of the most interesting things is testing wood as a material for building space satellites. This is the plan of the Japanese.
It seems like a joke, but if you look at it, wood is lighter than metal, it tolerates low and high temperatures well. It is a good insulator. The satellite sent out of wood will be light and will leave no trace behind, and will not be space junk in the future – explains the expert on space projects.
We’ll be eagerly awaiting more images from the James Webb Telescope next year. Perhaps the information he obtained will inspire him to plan more missions in the coming years.
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