As years pass and developments in space and astronomy unfold, it is essential to acknowledge that 2022 was a rich year that will be hard to match. NASA astonished the world with cosmic images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, the DART mission pushed an asteroid into a new orbit, the Artemis mission returned humans to the lunar path, China completed the construction of a new space station in orbit, SpaceX achieved 61 rocket launches and landings in 12 months, and the Ukraine war shook Russia's position as a space power.
**Expected Space Events**
These events, among many others, took place in 2022, but 2023 promises much excitement from launch platforms, the moon’s surface, and the sky. Below is a list of important expected space events, although some dates have yet to be specified:
- **New Moon Landings**: We can talk about at least one confirmed moon landing in 2023; the Japanese company iSpace launched its "IM1" mission aboard a SpaceX rocket last December. "IM1" is on a slow and efficient fuel-consumption path, expected to reach the moon in April, where it will attempt to land a rover manufactured by the UAE, a robot developed by Japan’s JAXA, along with other payloads.
The new year may also witness five other launch attempts; NASA has teamed up with two private companies to deliver payloads to the moon. These companies, Intuitive Machines in Houston and Astrobotic Technology in Pittsburgh, faced delays over the past year, but their planned missions may occur in the coming months. Additionally, lunar missions from three government programs may follow suit: India's Chandrayaan-3 mission, which was delayed last year, might launch this year; Japan's SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) mission aims to test Japan's lunar landing technologies; and Russia's Luna-25 mission, postponed last September, may see the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) attempt a launch in 2023.
- **New Rockets**: NASA's Space Launch System left Earth in 2022, lighting up the Florida sky while carrying the Artemis 1 mission to the moon. This launch shifted focus to SpaceX, which is currently building the next generation of its Starship rockets; a key component of the anticipated crewed Artemis 3 mission to the moon. SpaceX successfully passed an essential environmental review boosting its readiness to launch an uncrewed test orbital flight from South Texas if certain conditions are met, although the rocket was not ready for flight in 2022. The company has yet to announce a test date this year, but routine ground tests of Starship equipment indicate that it is preparing for one.
In 2023, we may see several other rockets making their maiden flights, most notably the Vulcan Centaur, which will be launched by United Launch Alliance to finally replace the Atlas V that played a crucial role in U.S. rocket launches over the last two decades. "Vulcan" relies on a BE-4 engine designed by the space firm Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos.
Several private American companies are expected to test space rockets this year, including Relativity and APL. Foreign companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries may test the Japanese H3 rocket in February, and Arianespace is preparing for a test flight of the European Ariane 6 rocket.
- **Cosmic Studies and New Space Telescopes**: The Webb Telescope amazed space enthusiasts and scientists with its images of the cosmos, but this year may bring additional opportunities via various orbital observatories. The Chinese Chang'e telescope is the most notable as it is an updated and more advanced version of the famous Hubble Telescope. This mission plans to survey the universe using optical and ultraviolet waves in an orbit around the Earth, near the Chinese Tiangong space station. Japan is also expected to begin the new year by launching the CRISM mission, which will use x-ray spectroscopy to study plasma clouds in an attempt to explain the universe's composition. Last but not least, the European Euclid Space Telescope may be launched aboard a SpaceX rocket following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which caused the telescope to lose its seat on a Russian Soyuz rocket. The European telescope aims to study dark energy and dark matter in the universe.
- **New Planetary Missions**: Jupiter will receive a spacecraft this year that will be the first mission to orbit another planet's moon. The European Space Agency's JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission is set to launch on an Ariane 5 rocket on April 5 and will settle into the Jovian system (a system of moons surrounding Jupiter) in 2031. Upon reaching its target planet, the mission plans to conduct 35 flybys close to three of the giant planet’s moons: Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede, which are believed to contain oceans beneath their surfaces. In 2034, JUICE will begin orbiting Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system.
Meanwhile, Rocket Lab in New Zealand plans to get close to the sun and use an Electron rocket to send a mission to Venus. The company's small satellite named Photon will utilize a small probe developed in collaboration with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to conduct a rapid study of the planet's toxic atmosphere. The mission was originally scheduled for May but likely will face delays as the company prioritizes other missions.
- **Total and Partial Solar Eclipses**: 2023 will also greet us with two solar eclipses; one total on April 20 will dominate the southern hemisphere, during which the moon will completely obscure sunlight in far regions of Australia and Indonesia.
North America will witness an annular eclipse on October 14, sometimes called a "ring of fire" eclipse because the moon will be too far from Earth to completely block the sun, creating a ring-like effect at its peak. This eclipse will be visible in parts of the United States before ending in South and Central America. If weather conditions permit, people can enjoy a stunning solar display leading up to a total eclipse on April 8, 2024, which is expected to cover the United States from southwest to northeast.
