The most prominent space discoveries of 2023

ArabiaWeather - The year 2023 witnessed increasing momentum in the field of space exploration, as this year was characterized by discoveries and achievements that caught the eye and amazed humanity. Among these achievements are remote space missions, predicting the timing of solar storms, and using artificial intelligence systems to potentially explore life throughout the distant universe.

Below we review the most prominent discoveries related to cosmic and space sciences that occurred this year.

Euclid satellite

On July 1, the Euclid satellite was launched from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Station in Florida. The satellite, equipped with telescopic space cameras, aims to reveal the origin of the universe in a six-year mission. The satellite is currently heading towards the L2 Lagrange point, which is about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

The satellite is scheduled to take images of more than a third of the sky outside the Milky Way using its high-resolution cameras. It will also perform infrared spectroscopy of hundreds of millions of galaxies and stars in the same region.

Scientists will benefit from the data collected by the satellite to test theories of dark energy and dark matter, as well as to reveal the evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes. The duration of the Euclid satellite's mission will last until at least 2029, and the European Space Agency, which is funding the project, expects that the quality of the images will be four times better than those taken from Earth.

Russian spacecraft Luna-25

On August 11, Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft crashed out of control and crashed into the moon's surface, according to officials. This was Russia's first mission to land a vehicle on the moon's surface in nearly 50 years.

Luna-25 was planned to be the first vehicle to ever land on the Moon's south pole. However, the mission failed after the spacecraft encountered problems during its transition to lunar orbit before landing. The rover was scheduled to explore a part of the moon thought to contain frozen water and precious elements.

India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft

On August 23, India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully landed on the moon's surface. This achievement is considered a historic milestone for India, as it has become the fourth country in the world to succeed in landing a vehicle on the moon, after Russia, the United States, and China. This success comes after a failed attempt four years ago.

This successful space mission is part of India's thriving space programme. The mission cost around $74.6 million and represents a significant achievement for India in the field of space exploration.

The Indian “Aditya-L1” probe to study the sun

On September 2, India launched the Aditya-L1 probe in a new important step in the field of space exploration, as it aims to study the sun. This launch came a week after India succeeded in landing an unmanned vehicle at the south pole of the moon.

Aditya-L1 is India's first spacecraft dedicated to studying the Sun, thus joining NASA and the European Space Agency in exploring the Sun. If successful, the Indian mission will be the first Asian mission to reach solar orbit.

The probe is designed to travel a distance of up to 1.5 million kilometers over four months, and aims to reach a region in space known as the parking lot, where gravitational balances help keep objects in position without a large consumption of fuel.

Japanese "Moon Sniper" vehicle

On September 7, Japan launched an H-IIA rocket carrying a lunar exploration rover, aiming to be the fifth country to successfully land on the moon early next year. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced that the rocket successfully launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in the south of the country and launched the smart lander to explore the moon.

Japan aims to place the spacecraft called Moon Sniper within 100 meters of the target location on the moon's surface. The $100 million mission is expected to begin landing by February 2024 after traveling a long distance with precise guidance to save fuel.

Spaceflight and space tourism

In the field of human spaceflight, two records have been broken for the number of people in space and orbit at the same time. On May 25 this year, there were 20 people in space at the same moment, with 11 of them on board the International Space Station, 3 on China's Tiangong space station, and 6 on the US Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spacecraft.

Five days later, on May 30, the record for the number of people in orbit at the same moment was broken, as there were 17 people in orbit at one time, including 6 on China's Tiangong space station, 7 on the International Space Station, in addition to 4 Members of the Axiom 2 flight crew are also on the International Space Station.

It is noteworthy that the Axiom 2 flight was managed by Axiom Space in cooperation with the Saudi Space Authority, and was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It aims to research various fields such as cancer, cloud seeding, and the effect of microgravity in space. This mission also included the first Saudi astronaut to reach the International Space Station.

A Saudi astronaut and a Saudi astronaut

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the sending of the first Saudi female astronaut and male astronaut to the International Space Station during the second quarter of 2023. Rayana Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni will join the crew of the “AX-2” space mission.

The AX-2 mission began on May 21, when the spacecraft was launched from Florida, and its successful docking with the International Space Station was announced about 16 hours after launch. The two Saudi astronauts conducted 14 scientific experiments in space before returning to Earth and landing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

The program also includes training for another female astronaut and astronaut, Maryam Ferdous and Ali Al-Ghamdi. The Saudi Space Authority announced on May 31 that the spacecraft had landed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and indicated the success of the scientific flight and the contribution to research that serves humanity and enhances the Kingdom’s capabilities in the field of spaceflight.

Emirati astronaut

In just a few years, the UAE has succeeded in achieving its great ambitions in the field of space, as these ambitions have turned into reality through unprecedented achievements. This comes as part of the efforts of the UAE Space Agency, which has participated in many important research, studies and experiments, which have resulted in achievements that everyone is proud of.

Sultan Saif Al Neyadi participated in the 69th mission to the International Space Station last April, where he went out into outer space to perform maintenance and modernization tasks for the space station. External tasks included completing the preparatory series for installing new solar panels on the station, which was necessary to ensure the sustainability of the International Space Station and provide the necessary solar energy.

Al Neyadi returned to Earth on September 4, accompanied by Crew 6, after performing the first Arab mission in space history. During his journey, he participated in about 200 scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station, and his time in space was 186 days, making him the longest Arab astronaut in space.

Source: akhbarelyom