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While large parts of the globe have seen themselves immersed in new resurgences of the pandemic in recent weeks, the world of space exploration has not slowed down even for the Christmas holidays, so we’re at one point. other. Staging column in which we look at what’s going on, what’s hovering over and what’s going on.
December was an eventful month, with China returning lunar samples and Japan doing the same with asteroid dust. And it has been reported that we may have detected radio waves coming from ET. The truth may be out there and we sincerely want to believe it, but this widely reported signal from Proxima Centauri probably isn’t the confirmation of the alien life we’ve all been waiting for.
There was no shortage of launches from regular agencies and companies last month, with the first launch from China of their Long 8 March heavy-lift rocket from the Wenchang launch site in Hainan province. Its payload of five satellites put it into orbit safely, and we predict the rocket will be a workhorse in their future exploration program. Meanwhile, SpaceX performed a high-altitude test of its Starship SN8 vehicle, which proceeded as planned until the craft approached the landing pad, in which case the aircraft failed. one of its engines caused a spectacular crash. It doesn’t amount to an unsuccessful test flight as it performed flawlessly in the rest of its maneuvers, but it certainly made for an impressive video.
Regarding SpaceX and Starship, Elon Musk said he would sell all of his personal assets to fund a Martian colony. This will require a fleet of up to 1,000 spacecraft, with three launches per day to transport settlers and supplies to the Red Planet. He sparked controversy, however, by saying that interplanetary immigration would be open to people of all means. with loans available for the cost of the one-way trip estimated at $ 50,000, and Martian jobs offered to pay off the debt. Many critics responded to his Tweets comparing the idea to a contract bondage. It’s worth remembering that Musk is the master of the big publicity stunt, and while it seems like a good bet that SpaceX will indeed reach Mars, it’s also not inconceivable that his timeline and plans are somewhat optimistic.
A more tangible story from SpaceX comes from their super heavy booster rocket, which is to be reusable in the same way as their existing Falcon 9, but not to land on its own like the previous rocket. It will dock with its launch tower instead, being grabbed by the same support structures used to stabilize it prior to launch. At first glance, it might seem too difficult to pull off, but there’s no doubt people expressed the same doubts before the Falcon 9s made their synchronized landings.
Finally, away from more troubling developments in the political realm, The Hill looks at some of those that may help provide a commercial replacement for the ISS when it finally reaches the end of its life. They are looking at the likely funding for the rental of the station from NASA, and have looked at the group of Texas-based companies preparing to manufacture space stations. That’s right – space station mods like Axiom Space will become a manufactured assembly rather than one-off commissions. The decades beyond the ISS ‘current planned end of life for 2030 are likely to see some exciting developments in orbit.
The coming year is likely to be an exciting one, with a series of missions heading to Mars for February as well as a new space station to grab our attention. The Chinese aren’t just stopping on the Moon, with their Tianwen-1 Mars mission set to begin exploring our planetary neighbor, and the first Tianhe module of what will become their much larger space station taking off at during the coming year. Meanwhile, the Red Planet will see NASA’s Perseverance rover also reach its surface, taking the Ingenuity helicopter with it. Finally, the United Arab Emirates’ Hope probe will go into orbit, making the second month the month with a lot of news.
Wherever you are, protect yourself from Earth-bound viruses and keep staring at the sky in 2021.
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