2024 Will Be an Epic Year in Spaceflight

A Martian moons mission , a plethora of private lunar lander , probe to Venus and Jupiter , and reclaimable sound - lift rocket tests are among the many highlights we ’ll be watch in the coming 12 month , in what looks to be an extraordinary year in spaceflight . Here ’s your 2024 calendar .

The Moon takes center stage in 2024

An unprecedented number of mission to the Moon , both private and public , are adjust to take place in the upcoming class , cap by NASA ’s crewed Artemis 2 missionary work around our natural artificial satellite . Before that bechance , however , there ’s a trove of robotic missions we can look forward to .

Three Intuitive Machines lunar missions

The Intuitive Machines 1 mission ( IM-1 ) , schedule for launch on January 12 , 2024 , is designed to place theNova - ampere-second lander at volcanic crater Malapert Anear the Moon ’s south rod . This mission is notable for being a commercially build lunar lander , carry a suite of NASA payloads in addition to commercial-grade cargo . These load are part of NASA’sCommercial Lunar Payload Services ( CLPS ) computer program .

The U.S. caller is expecting to launch three lunar missions next year , all sent to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket . In addition to Intuitive Machines ’ IM-1 , there’sIM-2 , which could go up in other 2024 ; this second mission aims to localise the Nova - C lander near Shackleton Crater at the Moon ’s south arctic region to manifest on - site resource utilisation and evaluate explosive content using a regolith and crank drill , called TRIDENT . This is in addition to delivering a aggregative spectrometer , a4 M internet experiment for Nokia , and alunar rover grave with a crypto notecase passcode . This mission will also see the launch ofNASA ’s Lunar groundbreaker , an orbiter designed to notice , map , and read the Moon ’s weewee from lunar orbit .

A third Intuitive Machines missionary work , planned for mid-2024 and calledIM-3 , is ask to extradite multiple payloads to the Moon ’s Reiner Gamma region , including four NASA payloads and theLunar Vertex scouter , to conduct scientific probe and certify advanced technologies for future lunar geographic expedition .

A view of the Moon and Earth as taken from NASA’s Orion spacecraft. A similar mission around the Moon could take place in late 2024, but with four astronauts on board.

A view of the Moon and Earth as taken from NASA’s Orion spacecraft. A similar mission around the Moon could take place in late 2024, but with four astronauts on board.Photo: NASA

Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander

The calendar month of January could in fact see two private landers reach the Moon ’s airfoil , the other beingAstrobotic ’s Peregrine Mission 1(TO2 - AB ) . It ’s scheduled to set in motion aboard ULA ’s Vulcan Centaur on December 24 , 2023 , and attempt a lunar landing place at Sinus Viscositatis 32 days later . The mission involve the U.S. company ’s Astrobotic ’s Peregrine Lunar Lander , which was select through NASA ’s CLPS computer program . Thelander ’s many payloadsinclude theLaser Retroreflector Arrayfor preciseness length measurements and theNeutron Spectrometer Systemfor regolith authorship analysis .

JAXA’s SLIM Moon mission

If that ’s not enough lunar action for you in January , there ’s yet a third Moon landing try planned ( yes , a third ! ) in the first calendar month of year , this one a public lander operated by Japan . Its distance agency , JAXA , plans to make history with the first - ever piano lunar landing of a Japanese space vehicle , SLIM ( Smart Lander for enquire Moon),targeted for January 19 . launch on September 6 , 2023 , alongside the XRISM space scope , SLIM is designed for a speck landing within 330 feet ( 100 m ) of its target destination , a feat unprecedented in lunar exploration . Should it succeed , Japan will become just the fifth country to successfully land a probe on the Moon . This missionary post , showcasing advanced landing place engineering , is meant to pave the way for more ambitious mission . SLIM , measuring 8.8 base long , also carries two miniprobes for on - land site picture taking and communication theory .

Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission 1

In addition to the January landing , Astrobotic has plans for a second trip to the Moon in 2024 , an endeavor known asGriffin Mission 1 . Slated for launch on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket salad in November , and also done in connective with NASA ’s CLPS , the mission will see NASA ’s VIPER rover land on the Moon ’s southerly gelid region aboard Astrobotic ’s Griffin lander . Similar in size to a golf handcart , VIPER will search the realm near Nobile volcanic crater for 100 days , examine regolith for water ice and other volatiles using a Mandrillus leucophaeus and spectrometer .

The mission aims to sympathise lunar water distribution and likely imagination utilization for next exploration . outfit with solar panel and X - dance orchestra communication , VIPER is require to travel from 10 to 15 geographical mile ( 16 to 24 kilometers ) , showcasing technologies for extreme lunar environs .

China’s Chang’e-6 mission

China’sChang’e-6 mission , with a likely launch in May 2024 , train to make history by collecting the first lunar samples from the far side of the Moon . place the Apollo crater within the massive South Pole - Aitken basin , the mission will use a relay race satellite for communication and hold out complex surgical process include landing , scooping , and drilling to pile up samples . to boot , it will host external payload like France ’s DORN instrument to study radon outgassing , Sweden ’s NILS for observe negative lunar surface ions , and Pakistan ’s ICECUBE - Q cubesat . This challenging mission , found aboard a Long March 5 rocket , follows the success ofChang’e-5 , China ’s first lunar sample return deputation .

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission

It ’s not just automaton headed to the Moon . The much - prognosticate Artemis 2 mission could pass off as early on as November . This is the sequel to2022 ’s Artemis 1 , in whichNASA ’s Space Launch System megarocket launched for the very first clip , sending an uncrewed Orion ejection seat on a journey around the Moon . For this second mission , four astronaut will be on board : NASA ’s Reid Wiseman , Victor Glover , and Christina Koch , along with Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen .

It ’ll mark the first meter since the Apollo era that humans will travel to the lunar environs , setting the point for Artemis 3 — a crewed landing onto the surface . To get Artemis 2 off the ground on schedule , the SLS rocket ask to be fully assembled and swan . Plus , NASA isstudying Orion ’s heat shieldto settle why it exhibited unexpected abjection during re - entry at the ratiocination of Artemis 1 .

ispace Hakuto-R Mission 2

TheHakuto - R Mission 2,slated for late 2024 , play ispace ’s 2d lunar landing attempt , building on lessons from the failed Mission 1 ; the company’slunar lander crashed onto the lunar open in April 2023 while essay a soft landing . A key goal of the commission is to deploy a micro rover , engineered to put up the Moon ’s harsh conditions . Equipped with a high - definition camera , the rover will attempt to pull together lunar dust , whichNASA will then purchase from the fellowship as part of the Artemis program . Mission 2 incorporates improvement in software , landing simulation , and sensor testing to avoid Mission 1 ’s landing failure . It will carry five payloads , including scientific equipment and a commemorative plate . fabrication and assembly are underway in Japan , with a design Falcon 9 launching .

Exciting new rockets and spacecraft

The fomite that take us to orbit and beyond are induce more advanced and more diverse . This year will see a slate of impertinent tests and initiative launches .

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane

Dream Chaser , a Space Shuttle - like spaceplane being develop by Colorado - based Sierra Space , could finally flee in 2024 . Featuring wing and a lifting consistency design , Dream Chaserwill set in motion aboard a rocket but soil on established runways .

The space vehicle will in the main be used for transporting supplies to the International Space Station ( ISS ) , but it also has potential difference for other missions such as satellite deployments and scientific inquiry . Final tests at NASA are pending , but should everything look good , Dream Chaser will launch in April during the second trajectory of ULA ’s Vulcan Centaur rocket on an uncrewed commission to the ISS .

Boeing CST-Starliner

twelvemonth behind schedule , a Boeing CST - Starliner capsule — with an literal work party onboard — is alsoscheduled to aviate in April . NASA ’s Boeing Crew Flight Test ( CFT ) aims to test the Starliner spacecraft by send it , along with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams , to the ISS . The purpose of this flight is to demo Starliner ’s operational capabilities and substantiate its suitability for future crewed orbital missions . The charge will utilise a ULA Atlas V rocket for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida , with the space vehicle anticipate to stay docked at the ISS for about eight days .

Ariane 6 first launch

Europe ’s next - gen rocket salad , Ariane 6 , isslated to launch for the first timeat some full stop between June 15 and July 31 . Arecent launch dry run went well , but more tests are pending out front of its maiden ocean trip . With the retreat of Ariane 5 , the two var. of Ariane 6 are now central to Europe ’s place ambitions , crucial for maintaining the continent ’s main admittance to space .

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket

Blue Origin , founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos , has yet to send a rocket to Earth electron orbit ( its New Shepard space tourism projectile is suborbital ) , but that could modify in 2024 , as the company’sNew Glenn rocket could pilot as early as August . New Glenn is significant for Blue Origin mainly because it marks a significant footprint up in its capabilities . It ’s a heavy - lift rocket that can send braggy payloads into scope , enable Blue Origin to get into the militant space launch market place and square up against large names like SpaceX.

India’s Gaganyaan and Vikram-1

In 2024 , India’sGaganyaan mission , propose at open up the country ’s human spacefaring capableness , is fix to achieve some significant milestone . Managed by the Indian Space Research Organization ( ISRO ) , the first of at least two missions in the year will lead off with a test flight to an elevation of 9.3 Admiralty mile ( 15 kilometre ) , focusing on abort simulation procedure . This will be follow by a second test escape , deployingVyommitra , a female - looking humanoid robot , to formalise system at a high height . These tests should pave the way for the delegation ’s pinnacle consequence : India ’s first crewed spaceflight , which could bump in late 2024 , or more likely in 2025 .

India ’s space sector is set to accomplish a meaning milestone with theinaugural flight of the Vikram-1rocket , developed by Hyderabad - base inauguration Skyroot Aerospace . This mission , a further sign of India ’s rapid advancement in private distance exploration , is notable for itscarbon fiber structure and 3D - print liquid engines . Vikram-1 , a multi - stage launching fomite with a content to transmit payloads of around 660 pounds ( 300 kg ) into lower Earth orbital cavity , stands to boost Skyroot ’s role in the industry and now take exception ISRO ’s SSLV rocket .

A bunch of cool happenings in deep space

Several science missions to other planet and moons in our solar system will capture our imaginations in 2024 , collecting images and data that will drive uncovering for many years to come .

Mars EscaPADE mission

If and when New Glenn launch next year , it is set to carry two Photon ballistic capsule , embarking on a mission to study Mars ’ magnetosphere . CalledEscaPADE , the mission is part of NASA ’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration ( SIMPLEx ) plan , and its in - orbit explorations of Mars couldhelp to explain why the Martian atmosphere is so leaky .

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission

TheJupiter Icy Moons Explorer ( succus ) commission , work by the European Space Agency ( ESA ) , is specify toperform its first Earth - Moon gravitational assist in August 2024 . This sequence is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of the somberness help , enable succus to achieve the right flight , f number , and counsel for its missionary station .

Bepi-Colombo at Mercury

On September 5 , the European Space Agency’sBepi - Colombowill perform its quaternary Mercury flyby , a crucial maneuver in its delegacy to study the satellite in item . This flyby will allow the spacecraft to adjust its trajectory and gather worthful data , bring to our understanding of this hot and enigmatic planet .

Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission

TheMartian Moons Exploration ( MMX ) mission , led by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) , is a machinelike space probe scheduled for launch in September 2024 . Its principal objective is to collect and refund the first samples from Phobos , the largest moon of Mars . The MMX mission is crucial as it seeks to uncover whether Mars ’ moons , Phobos and Deimos , grow from captured asteroid or a monumental impact on Mars — insights that could enhance our understanding of the Martian system and the geological formation of ethereal bodies in our solar organization .

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission

sic to launch in October , NASA’sEuropa Clipper , which aims to look into Jupiter ’s Sun Myung Moon Europa for possible sign of liveliness , will embark on its journey aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket . Europa is intriguing because it ’s believe to host a subsurface sea beneath its icy Earth’s crust , which might be hospitable to life . The spacecraft , built to withstand acute irradiation , will accede a wide-cut reach around Jupiter in 2030 . This way of life allows it to swoop in stuffy to Europa repeatedly , pile up detailed data on this potentially life - underpin moon .

Hera asteroid mission

ESA’sHera foreign mission to re - visit the asteroid Didymos and its synodic month Dimorphosis set to boom off in October . This mark the on-going phase of NASA’sDouble Asteroid Redirection Test ( DART ) , which aims to valuate the feasibleness of altering asteroid trajectories by colliding spacecraft , called kinetic impactors , straight with them . arrive at the binary system of rules in December 2026 , Hera will perform an on - site review to evaluate the effect of the DART experiment , which slam into Dimorphos on September 26 , 2022 .

Rocket Lab’s Venus Life Finder mission

TheVenus Life Finder mission , a collaboration between Rocket Lab and MIT , is a pioneering secret military mission to Venus , launching no sooner than December 2024 . This delegation will send a small probe , equip with a single skill instrument , to analyze constitutional mote and potential signs of life in the Venusian atmosphere . Launched aboard Rocket Lab ’s Electron arugula , the investigation will use a lunar sombreness assist to reach Venus by 2025,descending through the major planet ’s potentially habitable swarm bed .

Low Earth orbit happenings

Much of this yr ’s action will take place close to rest home , in low Earth orbit .

Axiom Space Mission 3 (Ax-3)

Axiom Mission 3 ( Ax-3 ) , schedule for launch no earlier than January 2024 , symbolise another authoritative step for the company and private spaceflight in universal . maneuver by Axiom Space and utilizing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft , the mission will establish from NASA ’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida , carrying the first all - European gang to the ISS . The gang , include Commander Michael López - Alegría and Pilot Walter Villadei , will embark on a 14 - day mission focused on conducting pioneering microgravity inquiry . Axiom design to render to the ISS in October , withAxiom Mission 4 ( Ax-4 ) , for another two - hebdomad stint . These mission showcase the increase teamwork between secret space firms and politics blank space representation , illustrate the dynamic change bump in the realm of global space exploration .

SpaceX Starlink satellites and Starship rocket

In addition to the aforementioned projects involving SpaceX , the Elon Musk - led company will continue to deposit its Starlink internet satellite in low Earth orbit throughout the twelvemonth . The ship’s company will also continue to recrudesce its Starship megarocket , and we can expect multiple demo missions of the two - stage launch vehicle in 2024 . Should all go well for SpaceX , the Starship 2nd stagecoach might even reach orbit in the come calendar month and seek reentry .

Amazon Project Kuiper satellites

Amazon ’s Project Kuiper , a satellite internet initiative exchangeable to SpaceX ’s Starlink , willget off the groundin businesslike next yr . The party is gearing up to start orbiter production in expectation of a gravid - scale deployment set to commence in early 2024 , with plans to have sufficient satellites in orbital cavity to start preliminary customer trial in the latter one-half of 2024 .

Phew ! That ’s a mountain , and this is just a partial list — lots of small missions are also plan in 2024 . We ’ll be there each step of the way to chronicle these missions , in what looks to be another noteworthy yr in space .

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Artistic depiction of. the IM-1 lunar lander from Intuitive Machines.