SpaceX Starship launch headlines the most anticipated 2022 space missions
The SpaceX Starship launch (its first official one to orbit, specifically) proves to be the headliner among the most anticipated space missions for 2022.
According to a report by Space.com, the first orbital launch for the massive reusable rocket design from Elon Musk’s venture is scheduled for early March, with both its actual Starship vehicle and its Super Heavy booster already completed
Both elements of the SpaceX Starship are intended for full, rapid reusability-an innovation that has eluded modern space programs since the Space Shuttle program was shut down on August 31, 2011.
Since then, almost every spacecraft that has been tasked to carry big payloads to orbit (human crews among them) has all been single-use, like the Russian Soyuz craft that ISS astronauts have been using, according to the ESA.
For now, Elon Musk’s space exploration venture is hard at work trying to finish the spacecraft’s launch pad and tower at the company’s launch site in South Texas. If everything goes smoothly, then the first official launch of Starship will herald in operational missions by 2023.
As of late, the spacecraft (which Musk calls “next-level”) still has a long way to go before being called the best in its class. One of its biggest scheduled missions is the long-awaited first human landing on Mars, which the popular multi-billionaire is firmly setting his sights on.
Other Missions To Watch Out For Aside From The SpaceX Starship Launch
SpaceX isn’t the only horse in this race, however. Other organizations, including old reliable NASA and a few other private companies, are also vying for their spots in the modern space age.
First off, Houston-based private company Axiom Space recently got the green light for a privately crewed mission to the International Space Station scheduled for February 28, 2022. But that’s not the be-all, end-all for Axiom, since they also plan to build the world’s first commercial space station.
Next up is the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Rocket’s first moon mission. The massive, 332-foot-tall rocket is being prepped to be the primary driver for the agency’s upcoming expeditions to the moon, specifically the up-and-coming Artemis-though the human-crewed mission itself has been delayed to 2024-2025.
SLS’s first task will be an unmanned flyby of the moon, called Artemis 1, scheduled shortly before March.
To close things off, Boeing and NASA are finally expecting to get Starliner off the ground no earlier than May 2022, according to Space.com. The mission has Starliner trying to reach the ISS yet again-a feat it failed to conquer during its first launch two years ago.
Due to the new schedule, the crewed test flight of Starliner has also been moved further into the coming year. Boeing states that should their spacecraft ace its upcoming uncrewed flight test, it will eventually bring three NASA astronauts to the ISS. There is no specific date set for this one. techtimes.com