2022 space calendar - Every major NASA mission, international lunar launch and more

[MMT]

T

he year 2021 marked a new dawn for space exploration. 

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched, engulfed in a wondrous cloud of smoke and flames. Sometime this year, it will send back unprecedented images of what the universe looked like just after the Big Bang. 

The agency's first spaceborne planetary defense system prototype, DART (Double Asteroid Redirection test), began its journey to crash into a faraway asteroid, and NASA's Lucy is headed to an ancient asteroid cluster near Jupiter. The Mars rover Perseverance and its helicopter buddy, Ingenuity, are toiling away, bringing us incredible pictures and data of the planet where humanity may one day settle. 

And not only did 2021 signal the start of commercial space travel. It also paved the way for a future in which the feat becomes normalized. 

Billionaire Richard Branson flew to the edge of space on his Virgin Galactic spacecraft, and fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos did the same shortly after with a craft built by his own company, Blue Origin -- though these two civilian astronauts experienced some pushback due to their ultrarich status. Some argue that funneling money into such ventures is wasteful, and others worry it allows the rich to pivot space travel and to fit their own agendas. SpaceX's Inspiration4, however, later sent a few much more relatable amateur cosmic travelers into orbit. 

Indeed, while 2021 was filled with remarkable achievements, 2022 may prove a solid competitor. 

For starters, the space race is back. Echoing the Apollo years, lunar exploration will lead the charge in 2022 with several countries aiming to send spacecraft to the moon. Reusable spacecraft built by SpaceX, Boeing and Blue Origin may finally reach orbit, and space agencies like the Indian Space Research Organization and the Korean Aerospace Research Institute are entering the extraplanetary game.

It's going to be wild – here are the big events to keep an eye out for this year. If you think we've missed something, or if there's a mission you'd really like to see on this list, let us know!

 

 

FULL ARTICLE & DATES