July 2020 was a huge month for Mars. Taking advantage of its nearby position in orbit, three missions departed the Earth on a seven-month journey to the red planet. Now those spacecraft NASA’s Perseverance rover, the Chinese space agency’s Tianwen-1 and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope are arriving at their destination. They’re poised to uncover the secrets our celestial neighbor hides within its atmosphere and barren plains and may even reveal relics of ancient life on the planet’s surface.
Although all three spacecraft will make it to orbit around Mars this month, NASA’s Perseverance (or “Percy”) gets to take center stage. It will be the only mission to land on the surface this month, with an expected arrival date of Feb. 18. Perseverance builds on an impressive history of interplanetary exploration, with its sibling rover Curiosity coming up on nine years on Mars, delivering breathtaking photographs and some puzzling data.
Mars, Moon & a fresh pair of eyes in the sky â the big space missions planned for 2021
Among other things, the coming year will provide a glimpse at the progress being made by the burgeoning private space industry â with many new rockets set for their maiden flights.
Sandhya Ramesh 1 January, 2021 12:00 pm IST
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Bengaluru: While 2020 was defined by the Covid pandemic, astronomical and space missions continued to thrive, albeit with minor setbacks and delays. The year saw plenty of planetary findings, from Venus to the Moon to mysterious radio signals, fast radio bursts in the Milky Way, and a dimming star.Â