In 2023, the most prominent stories in the world of space were focused on the moon, asteroids, and cutting-edge rockets from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

On its second test flight, Elon Musk’s enormous rocket successfully reached space before exploding once more. India successfully landed on the moon, surpassing Russia’s failed attempt. Additionally, NASA retrieved its initial samples from an asteroid.

These are only some of the cosmic events that occurred in 2023, with more to follow in 2024.

MOON MANIA

In 2023, several countries and private companies attempted to land on the moon. India was successful, becoming the fourth country to do so. Other countries, including the US, China, and Japan, have plans to land on the moon in the near future. NASA has also introduced a group of astronauts who are scheduled to orbit the moon in late 2024, and another crew will potentially land as well, though the exact date is unknown.

ROCKET DEBUTS

In 2023, SpaceX’s Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever constructed, was launched twice from South Texas. Unfortunately, both launches resulted in explosions and debris scattering into the Gulf of Mexico. The second test flight, however, lasted twice as long and reached a height of 93 miles (150 kilometers). SpaceX’s goal is for the empty Starship to complete a journey around the world before being equipped with satellites and carrying astronauts. NASA’s future moon explorers will rely on the Starship to transport them to the lunar surface. In addition, three other rockets are scheduled to make their first flights in 2024: United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan with a lunar lander, Blue Origin’s New Glenn – the company’s inaugural orbital-class rocket, and Europe’s upgraded Ariane 6 rocket.

ASTEROID AUTUMN

NASA named it “asteroid autumn.” In the month of September, the spacecraft Osiris-Rex successfully delivered a collection of debris from asteroid Bennu. Just a few weeks later, the spacecraft Psyche began its six-year journey to an asteroid rich in metals, also named Psyche. Then in November, the spacecraft Lucy flew by its first asteroid on its busy schedule and discovered a small moon made up of two fused objects. Employees at a laboratory in Houston are still working to open the sample canister that landed in the Utah desert. So far, scientists have extracted 2.5 ounces (70 grams) of black dust and rock fragments from Bennu.

SPACE TOURISM

In 2023, Virgin Galactic, owned by Richard Branson, began offering short space trips for tourists. In less than five months, the company successfully completed five customer launches from New Mexico. However, they plan to pause operations in mid-2024 to work on developing a rocket that can carry more people on a more frequent basis. On the other hand, Elon Musk’s SpaceX completed its second private trip to the International Space Station and has more private flights scheduled, including the first private spacewalk. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has not launched any passengers since its New Shepard rocket, carrying experiments, crashed in Texas in 2022.

CELESTIAL CLOSE-UPS

The James Webb Space Telescope recently celebrated its first year of capturing stunning images from outer space. It released a breathtaking photo of the nearest star-forming area to Earth, followed by a new view of the Crab Nebula, which had previously been observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope also played a crucial role in the discovery of the oldest black hole known to date, estimated to have formed 470 million years after the Big Bang. According to NASA administrator Bill Nelson, the James Webb Telescope continues to exceed expectations. Meanwhile, the Hubble Telescope, restored by astronauts during an exhilarating shuttle mission 30 years ago, is still producing impressive photographs.

SOLAR ECLIPSES

In October, the Americas experienced a “ring of fire” solar eclipse, which served as a preview for the upcoming total solar eclipse in April. This phenomenon occurred when the sun, moon, and Earth aligned, resulting in a partial solar eclipse visible from Oregon to Texas and various parts of Central and South America. However, the moon will be at the perfect distance from Earth on April 8 to completely block out the sun during the total solar eclipse. This event will begin in Mexico and travel northeast through Texas, Arkansas, the Midwest, upstate New York, New England, and Canada.

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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group provides support to the Associated Press Health and Science Department. The AP is solely responsible for all of the content.

Source: wral.com