The very first probe called OSIERS-REX has landed.

Sultan of Mawish – Riyadh:

Jeddah Chief Astronomer Engineer Majed Abu Zahra said 2020 has been a difficult year in the world with the challenges that accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, but space programs have continued to reach new heights .

Abu Zahra reported that this year alone two spacecraft brought in valuable asteroid samples, a manned space flight saw a new spacecraft, and a NASA astronaut set a new record for the longest space flight in a woman, and SpaceX has made great strides towards Advance commercial spaceflight with the launch of the First Commercial Crew.

Here is a summary of the most significant achievements in space flight that caught our attention this year.

1- SpaceX launches its first pioneers

After more than a decade of development, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program experienced its first manned flight. In May, the SpaceX mission (Demo-2) successfully sent two astronauts to the International Space Station for a three-month manned test flight, using a vehicle. Company Space (Crow Dragon).

The crew on this mission also made the first U.S. parachute landing in 45 years, the first since the Apollo program, followed by (Crow Dragon) ‘s first operational flight in November, with the launch of (Crow-Dragon) with four astronauts, and showed a video tour of the interior of the vehicle. Space, during the flight, a “Baby Yoda” doll and a set of touch screens.

2- “Chang-5” brings moon samples

In December, the Chinese “Chang-5” spacecraft returned samples from the moon to Earth, the first in 44 years, as it collected the first moon rocks from the Soviet Union’s (Luna 24) mission , which brought about 170 grams of lunar soil to Earth in 1976 AD.

The “Chang-5” probe is supposed to collect around two kilograms of moon dust in this mission, which is one in a long series of successful Chinese lunar missions in recent years, including the first mission to the other side of the world. Moon. The probe was “Chang-4”, (It landed in 2019) and the mission “Chang-3”, which landed on the moon in 2013 and is still until 2020.

3- asteroid sample collection missions

In October, NASA’s very first probe called (OSAIRS-REX) landed to retrieve samples from the surface of the asteroid Benno. Asteroid on Earth in 2023 AD.

Meanwhile, scientists may conduct a thorough examination of the results of the Japanese spacecraft that brought pieces of the asteroid (Ryugu) back to Earth this month.

4- The effects of the Corona virus on space flights

The coronavirus pandemic has caused unexpected disruptions to life on Earth this year, and among its many effects, the pandemic has forced the space industry to find new ways to keep working amid new demands on physical distance and other measures to prevent the virus from spreading.

The partners of the International Space Station have tightened the usual quarantine restrictions for incoming crews to prevent the virus from spreading into space, which has been successful so far, and most companies and flight agencies Space companies have managed to keep moving, albeit slowly, but the negative effects have accumulated in other ways. Caused the cancellation of astronomy conferences, the cancellation of personal meetings and online communications, the delay of the first launch of the space launch system, and India avoided launching missiles for most of 2020.

5- Launch missions on Mars

While Europe and Russia have postponed the launch of the “Rosalind Franklin” probe, formerly known as “ExoMars”, until 2022 due to parachute problems and delays caused by the coronavirus epidemic, three more flights to Mars were successfully launched in July 2020 when the Red Planet was near. From the earth.

NASA launched the probe, “Perseveris,” to search for microscopic organisms as part of a long-term sample storage mission that ultimately aims to return to Earth for analysis. China has launched its ambitious Mars mission – a “Tianwen 1” that includes an orbiter, lander and rover – as part of the fast-growing country’s first space program.

The UAE has also launched the “Hope” probe, which it hopes will inspire Arab youth to join the space industry.

6- The incredible progress of the Starship spacecraft

SpaceX’s prototype (Starship SN8) flew for several minutes on a test flight earlier in December, but the spacecraft exploded on landing, although SpaceX considered the launch successful due to the complexity. SN8 vehicle compared to previous prototypes, as it included three engines. Raptor (unlike the only engine used previously), and the company’s ultimate goal is to use the craft to send people and goods to the Moon, Mars and other distant space destinations, and SpaceX is hoping launch a manned mission to Mars in 2024 or 2026.

7- SpaceX restores cone head for the first time

SpaceX took another leap forward in rocket reuse in July, when the company restored the two halves of the fallen payload of a Falcon 9 missile, and now the company has made dozens of hard landings in the aim to reduce the cost of mission space travel in Earth orbit and hope for the end. Do this to destinations as far away as Mars.

The top stage of the Falcon 9 rocket and its heavier counterpart, the Falcon Heavy, are again unusable – but the rest of the space flight system would have to be reused.

8- Kristina Koch returns after almost a year in space

NASA astronaut Christina Koch landed safely on Earth in February after setting a new long-term record for astronauts: 328 days on a single mission, nearly a year in space, the mission of Koch included setting records such as performing the first Space Walk (one of six activities outside the International Space Station) and participating in more than 210 scientific studies.

Astronaut Christina Koch was initially sent on a six-month mission, but her stay has nearly doubled as NASA and its international partners seek to collect data for longer missions.

9- 20 years of astronauts on the International Space Station

The International Space Station celebrated 20 years of continuous crew presence in November. It was home to dozens of astronauts who have carried out spacewalks, conducted thousands of experiments, and conducted long-range space missions, and there are more to come.

The space station agreement will likely be extended until 2028 from its end point in 2024, giving NASA and its international partners the ability to conduct science at the station and use it while the Commercial operations continue to intensify, with Houston-based Axiom Space planning to relocate a commercial unit and commercial astronauts in 2015. 2021 m.

10- NASA announces Artemis astronauts

As NASA’s Artemis program suffers from delays in launching the rocket from the space launch system, NASA has named a list of moon-bound astronauts for its manned moon landing target as part of the Artemis 3 mission by 2024.

“Team Artemis” includes 18 astronauts, including the first woman to land on the moon. International participation will also be a feature of the program; At the end of December, the Canadian Space Agency announced that one of its astronauts would participate in a test flight to lunar orbit, Artemis II.