2024 Another Big Year for Space ExplorationAs we enter the new year, we take a look back at some of the biggest space stories of 2024. Nearly one year ago, a private spacecraft completed the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. The American space agency NASA announced the space lander, called Odysseus, had touched down on the lunar surface February 22. Odysseus was developed by the Texas-based company Intuitive Machines. The spacecraft carried out several science experiments before powering down permanently on the moon in late March. NASA said Odysseus had successfully captured data to help the agency “better understand the moon’s environment and improve landing precision and safety.” Japan’s space agency JAXA announced in January 2024 that its SLIM spacecraft had successfully landed on the moon. But the lander touched down the wrong way up, causing some communication and power problems. Japanese space officials reported that they stayed in communication with SLIM through late April. They said the spacecraft was able to collect valuable data about the touchdown and surrounding area. One purpose of the mission was to demonstrate new precision landing technology. JAXA said the experiment was successful because SLIM was able to land within 10 meters of its planned target. In May, China launched its Chang’e 6 spacecraft to the moon’s far side. In late June, Chinese space officials announced the spacecraft had returned to Earth with rock and soil samples collected on the lunar surface. The successful return made China the first country to ever collect and bring back lunar samples from the far side of the moon. The area is known as the far side because it always faces away from Earth. In October, the European Space Agency (ESA) said it had successfully launched a spacecraft, called Hera, to explore an asteroid struck in an earlier NASA test mission. Hera’s trip to the asteroid is expected to take about two years. Hera is headed to the asteroid Dimorphos. NASA crashed its DART spacecraft into the space rock in 2022, about 11 million kilometers from Earth. NASA said its mission successfully showed it was possible to change the orbit of asteroids that might threaten Earth in the future. Hera aims to closely examine Dimorphos to get more details on how the strike by DART affected the asteroid. The data that NASA collected is to be used together with information gathered by ESA to develop future planetary defense plans. NASA announced the successful launch of its Europa Clipper spacecraft in October. The explorer is designed to search for possible signs of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and has numerous moons. But icy Europa has been identified by scientists as a good candidate for having the right conditions to support life. Several studies have suggested the moon likely contains a large ocean beneath its icy surface. NASA said the Europa Clipper would fly past Mars, then back toward Earth, “using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum.” These kinds of “gravity assists” are expected to provide the needed push to get the spacecraft to Jupiter by 2030. In early June, Boeing successfully carried out a test mission for NASA by transporting two American astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – to the International Space Station (ISS). The two were expected to stay in space for only a week. But ongoing technical issues with the Starliner spacecraft prevented a return trip. NASA announced plans in August to have Starliner return to Earth without the astronauts. The current plan is for Wilmore and Williams to return on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft sometime in late March or April. SpaceX has now completed six launch tests of its huge Starship rocket system. Four of those tests were carried out in 2024. The last test took place in November. The Starship rocket and spacecraft system is designed to be a completely reusable vehicle to transport astronauts and supplies. It has successfully demonstrated that ability in its most recent experimental flights. During one of the tests in October, Starship’s Super Heavy booster rocket was “caught” and secured by a huge structure that includes metal arms. A short time later, Starship’s second stage safely splashed down in the Indian Ocean.
