From the moon to Europa, six space missions to be excited for in 2024

From the moon to Europa, six space missions to be excited for in 2024

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Space Technology

Context:

• The year 2023 proved to be an important one for space missions, with NASA’s OSIRIS­-REx mission returning a sample from an asteroid and India’s Chandrayaan­3 mission exploring the lunar south pole region, and 2024 is shaping up to be another exciting year for space exploration.

Six Major Mission for 2024

• Europa Clipper: Unveiling Jupiter’s Moon Europa
  • Mission Context: NASA’s Europa Clipper aims to explore Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, known for its icy surface and potential subsurface saltwater ocean.
  • Scientific Goals: The mission will conduct close flybys to study Europa’s ice shell, geology, and subsurface ocean, seeking signs of habitability.
  • Launch Window: Scheduled for October 10, 2024, with 21 days, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
• Artemis II: NASA Plan To Return to the Moon
  • Program Background: Artemis II is part of NASA’s Artemis program, aiming to send humans back to the moon and establish a sustained presence for future Mars missions.
  • Mission Details: Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a 10-day mission orbiting the Moon, building upon the uncrewed Artemis I mission.
  • Launch Timeline: Planned for as early as November 2024, with potential delays to 2025.
• VIPER: Searching for Lunar Water
  • Mission Purpose: VIPER, a golf cart-sized rover, will explore the moon’s south pole to search for water and other volatiles.
  • Technical Challenges: The mission will navigate extreme lunar temperatures and shadowed regions during its 100-day mission.
  • Launch Schedule: Set for November 2024, following a delay for additional lander system tests.
• Lunar Trailblazer and PRIME-1: Water Mapping and Drilling
  • SIMPLEx Missions: As part of NASA’s low-cost planetary missions, Lunar Trailblazer will orbit the moon to map water locations, while PRIME-1 will test drilling technology.
  • Launch Dependencies: Both missions are secondary payloads, with their launch timing contingent on the readiness of primary payloads.
• JAXA’s Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) Mission
  • Mission Focus: MMX aims to study Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos, to determine their origin and collect a sample from Phobos.
  • Scientific Objectives: The mission will spend three years conducting science operations around Mars and its moons.
  • Launch Plan: Scheduled for around September 2024.
• ESA’s Hera Mission: Asteroid Defense Study
  • Mission Context: Hera will follow up on NASA’s DART mission to the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system, where DART tested the kinetic impact technique for planetary defense.
  • Research Goals: Hera will study the physical properties of the asteroids and assess the impact of the DART collision.
  • Launch and Arrival: Set for October 2024, with arrival at the asteroid system expected in late 2026.