2023 has been a monumental year for space exploration and astronomy. Several key missions achieved historic firsts, while powerful new telescopes provided breathtaking glimpses into the cosmos. Let’s review some of the top stories.
NASA Returns Asteroid Samples to Earth
In September, a NASA spacecraft dropped off the first samples gathered from an asteroid. The OSIRIS-REx probe successfully delivered over 2 pounds of rocky material collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in 2020. This sample return caps an unprecedented seven-year mission to study an asteroid up close and bring pieces of it back for analysis.
Researchers will now subject the samples to intricate study with the goal of learning more about the early solar system and the role asteroids may have played in bringing water and organic compounds to Earth.
“It’s almost like getting a time capsule, going back four-and-a-half billion years to the beginning of the solar system.” – Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator
This achievement paves the way for future sample return initiatives, including efforts to retrieve Mars rock samples collected by the Perseverance rover and China’s Chang’e lunar sample return mission. The insights gained could reshape our understanding of planets and space resources.
NASA Makes History with DART Asteroid Impact
In late September, NASA intentionally crashed its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft into the Dimorphos asteroid, demonstrating humanity’s first ever test of a kinetic impactor for planetary defense.
The refrigerator-sized DART probe slammed into Dimorphos at over 14,000 miles per hour, altering its orbital period by several minutes – proving the “hit-to-kill” concept works. Follow-up observations showed the impact excavated over 5,000 tons of material and left a sizeable crater.
This opens the possibility of deflecting a hazardous asteroid headed for Earth through targeted strikes. While no known asteroid larger than 140 meters in size has a significant chance to hit Earth within the next 100 years, only about 40 percent have been found so far.
James Webb Reveals Dazzling Views of Early Universe
The revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope has delivered scene after scene of jaw-dropping glimpses into the earliest stages of star and galaxy formation this year.
Webb’s powerful infrared vision penetrated billowing stellar nurseries to unveil the sites of newly forming stars. Its images of galaxy clusters offer insights into the evolution of galaxies across billions of years of cosmic history.
In one standout example, Webb’s extreme depth of field enabled capturing an image of the most distant star light ever seen. This fuzzy red dot revealed a galaxy as it existed just 400 million years after the Big Bang, over 13 billion years ago. The telescope’s capabilities far surpass predecessor telescopes like Hubble.
“We’re looking at the building blocks of stars, we’re finding the first galaxies that were brightening up this dark universe” – Jane Rigby, Webb Operations Project Scientist
Many more remarkable discoveries from Webb’s first full year of science operations are anticipated in 2024.
NASA Introduces New Moon Megarocket, But Faces Setbacks
NASA’s beleaguered Space Launch System (SLS) finally got off the ground in November, propelling the uncrewed Artemis I test flight around the Moon in preparation for future crewed lunar missions. However, additional problems for the mega moon rocket soon emerged.
The SLS relies on numerous reused space shuttle components, causing ongoing headaches like fuel tank leaks. Its much-delayed November debut launch came in billions over budget at over $4 billion a launch. After a successful Artemis I flight, the rocket encountered new issues ahead of its first crewed launch.
In December, NASA called off the next SLS launch attempt due to faulty sensors, temperature issues, and hydrogen leaks. Depressurization during fueling also damaged an engine nozzleBeyond mechanical problems, rising program costs and long gaps between SLS launches continue to raise questions about its sustainability. Still, the rocket fulfills a key role in ambitions to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2025.
China Attempts Historic Robotic Moon Landing
China made history in early December as its Chang’e 5 lunar probe attempted the first robotic Moon landing on the far side of the Moon – a technically demanding feat.
Unfortunately, live landing commentary from Chinese space authorities confirmed the lander crashed into the surface during its descent. Still, the ambitious mission demonstrated notable firsts for China’s space program in terms of launching an orbiter, lander, and rover to the Moon in one go.
Even though no data will come from the failed lander and rover, the accompanying orbiter remains active in lunar orbit. China is expected to learn from this experience and continue pursuing sophisticated robotic exploration as a prelude to lunar base ambitions in the 2030s.
India Gears Up for Second Lunar Mission
While China’s latest lunar landing suffered failure, archrival India has lunar ambitions of its own. India’s space agency ISRO spent 2022 preparing for the launch of its Chandrayaan-3 mission sometime in 2023.
Chandrayaan-3 will attempt a soft landing on the Moon – India’s second try after the Vikram lander crashed during Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. Beyond national pride, India hopes to confirm the presence of water ice on the Moon’s south pole to inform future utilization.
The mission’s ramp-up follows the notable success of India’s first images of the lunar surface by its Chandrayaan-2 orbiter in 2022. As India’s space program advances on a thrifty budget, its lunar activities set up an Asian space race playing out beyond NASA and China.
This past year saw no shortage of action in space, with historic exploratory firsts paired with sobering setbacks. Sample return breakthroughs, planetary defense tests, a wave of new telescope observations, and shifting competitive dynamics between spacefaring nations marked a momentous 2023. Next year promises further ambition as humanity advances throughout the solar system and peers deeper into the forbidden frontiers of the early universe.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
