◎ Science and Technology Daily reporter Liu Xia
If the hottest space destination in 2021 is Mars, this year, it is very likely that Mars will be replaced by a moon closer to us. In 2022, mankind will take multiple "first steps" to explore the moon, and many countries in the world are accelerating their march to the moon.
Two giant new rockets "debut"
In 2022, humanity will take multiple "first steps" to explore the moon. NASA's lunar exploration program will launch two new rockets into space for the first time — space launch system (SLS) and SpaceX's "starship", both of which are more powerful than the Saturn 5 launch vehicle used by the Apollo program.
According to the US Space Network reported on December 20, 2021, after multiple delays due to research and development obstacles, NASA's SLS may be the first unmanned launch as early as March 12, 2022. At that time, SLS will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to send the Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit. During the mission, the Orion spacecraft will stay in orbit around the moon for about 6 days to collect data and let mission control measure the spacecraft's performance before returning to Earth.
Art of the "Orion" spaceship. Image source: NASA official website
The mission, titled Artemis One, will be the first in NASA's Artemis program series. Artemis is a multi-billion dollar project by NASA to return astronauts to the moon within 10 years and establish a long-term base on the lunar surface in preparation for travel to Mars. Subsequently, the Artemis II project will carry out manned flights in the same orbit; Artemis III will achieve lunar landing.
The Starship is a reusable rocket system and an important part of the Artemis mission, which will be used as a lander when astronauts land on the moon around 2025, and it will also play a central role in Elon Musk's ultimate mission to send humans to Mars, and the unmanned test flight of the Starship may take place in mid-2022.
Robots race to the moon
According to the "India Express" website reported on January 3, if the research and development work goes well, in 2022, there will be multiple robots from many countries competing to land on the moon, staging a wonderful drama.
The Nova-C lunar lander of Houston-based Intuition Machine is expected to launch on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in early 2022, carrying more than 10 payloads. The lander will also deploy a small rover built by British spacebit. In the fourth quarter of this year, Intuition Machine may also send a second robotic probe to the lunar surface.
The Pittsburgh-based Aerospace Robotics Company's Peregrine lander will carry 14 research payloads and rely on its own propulsion system to land easily on a basalt plain in the northeast of the moon.
South Korea plans to launch its first lunar mission in 2022, and its Pathfinder lunar orbiter will carry six tools to the moon in August, where it is expected to arrive in December on a Falcon 9 rocket. Some of its scientific goals include studying the lunar environment and topography and identifying possible landing sites for future missions.
Coincidentally, the UAE plans to send its Rashid lunar rover to the lunar surface, which will kick off the country's ambitious long-term lunar exploration program. It is reported that the 10-kilogram Rashid will study the lunar soil and its characteristics, and is scheduled to be launched between August and December 2022. The lunar rover will be placed inside a lander made by Japanese startup iSpace, which will take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the U.S. Falcon 9 rocket.
In addition, Russia will launch the Luna XXV lander in mid-2022, the country's first lunar mission since 1976. In 1976, the Soviet Union's Luna XXIV lander collected lunar samples and returned them to Earth.
India plans to send the Chandrayaan-3 probe and lunar rover to the moon in the third quarter of 2022, the country's third lunar mission. In 2019, India's Chandrayaan-2 probe went awry and crashed on the moon. Japan's iSpace also intends to launch a lunar lander in the second half of 2022 and deploy two lunar rovers on the moon.
Demystifying the "Mystery Cottage"
The first test of complex lunar orbits
At this year's Lunar Exploration Carnival, a cubesat that looks insignificant will also usher in its "debut"!
Art drawing of the Portal. Image source: NASA official website
It is reported that the "Top Stone" satellite will take 3 months to enter the target orbit after launch, and then begin a 6-month initial demonstration, so the information obtained during the demonstration and verification operation of the orbit will reduce uncertainty and ensure the safe entry and smooth landing of astronauts.
In addition, the Chinese lunar rover Yutu-2, which landed on the far side of the moon, either arrived at a mysterious cube "Mysterious Lodge" in January or February. At the beginning of December last year, when Yutu-2 discovered the "mysterious hut", the two were 80 meters apart, and it took Yutu-2 28 days to arrive at the place, expecting it to unveil the "mysterious hut" for us.
This year, the lonely Guanghan Palace has become "like a city", and Chang'e may not be so lonely and lonely.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Editor: Zhang Qiqi
Review: Wang Xiaolong
Final Judge: Liu Haiying