Space Breakthrough in 2023
Space magnates were still aiming for the Moon in 2022. However, before SpaceX can attempt lunar landings, it must first send its Starship on its inaugural orbital test flight. Chris Impey, a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, predicts that this year will see SpaceX's first successful orbital flight of the Starship, which he believes will be a game-changer in the race to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars within the decade.
As the race to land on the Moon heats up, private companies are making significant strides toward achieving this goal. While it may be a while before humans return to the lunar surface, robotic landers are set to touch down in the next few months. Japanese firm ispace launched a lunar lander in December, with plans to land in March. If successful, ispace will be the first private company to land on the Moon unless it is beaten by other companies, such as Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, which also have landers scheduled to arrive around the same time.
Another significant development in private space is SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission, which aims to conduct the first commercial spacewalk. The mission is planned to launch in March 2023 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, with four passengers, including billionaire mission funder Jared Isaacman, traveling to a maximum orbit of 745 miles above Earth, the highest of any crewed vehicle since the Apollo missions.
In addition to providing a unique experience for the passengers, Polaris Dawn will also provide valuable data to scientists on the ground. For example, the astronauts will wear smart contact lenses with tiny sensors that measure eye pressure while in microgravity. They will also receive a brain scan just hours after returning to Earth to examine the effects of microgravity on the brain.
Another potential breakthrough in 2022 is the possibility of the first methane-powered rocket reaching space. United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket is scheduled to conduct its first orbital test this year. Methane is more stable than the liquid hydrogen currently used to power most rockets and can be stored at more moderate temperatures. Furthermore, astronauts could even produce methane fuel on Mars for the journey back home.