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
Updated Dec 29, 2020 | 15:12 IST
2020 did turn out to be quite a significant year for space exploration and all signs point to 2021 being even busier. Representational image. | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
In the early months of next year, three spacecraft on individual Mars exploration missions – Mars 2020, Tianwen-1 and Hope – are all set to enter the Red Planet s orbit
In July next year, NASA plans to conduct a Double Asteroid Redirection Test – the Earth s first-ever planetary defence project
Russia is gearing up to launch its Luna-25 spacecraft next year to land a lunar vehicle on the surface of the moon making it the first Russian moon mission since 1976
21 December 2020, 8:14 pm EST By
The U.S. Congress approved the 2021 NASA budget amounting to nearly $23.3 billion. However, the space agency s officials said it will not be enough to support its lunar lander program.
According to 2021 omnibus spending bill released on Dec. 21 after reaching a compromise between the Senate and House bills, NASA will get a total funding of $23.271 billion for the 2021 fiscal year. This was $2 billion less than what the agency s initial request of $25.246 billion, although it was higher than $642 million from its 2020 budget.
Can NASA Lunar Lander 2024 proceed?
NASA s key exploration programs, including the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems all received funding, which are even above the administration s request. However, for the Human Landing System (HLS) program, the bill only provides $850 million, which merely 25% of the original request of $3.3 billion. Either the Senate or House versions are short to the re