ArabiaWeather – The year 2023 has seen a lot of momentum in the field of space exploration as this year has amazed mankind with discoveries and achievements. These achievements include long-distance space missions, predicting the timing of solar storms, and using artificial intelligence systems to explore life throughout the distant universe.

Below we review the most important discoveries related to cosmology and space science 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. Equipped with telescopic space cameras, the satellite aims to reveal the origins of the universe during its six-year journey. The satellite is currently heading towards the L2 Lagrange point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

The satellite is planned to use its high-resolution cameras to image more than a third of the sky outside the Milky Way. It will perform infrared spectra 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 reveal the evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes. The Euclid satellite's mission will last until at least 2029, and the European Space Agency, which is funding the project, expects the quality of images to be four times better than those taken from Earth.

Russian spacecraft Luna-25

On August 11, Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft lost control and fell to the surface of the moon, officials said. This is Russia's first mission to land a vehicle on the lunar surface in nearly 50 years.

Luna-25 was planned to be the first vehicle to land on the Moon's south pole. However, the mission failed after the spacecraft encountered problems while transitioning to lunar orbit before landing. The rover was planned to explore a region of the moon believed to contain frozen water and precious elements.

India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft

On August 23, India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully landed on the lunar surface. This achievement is considered a historic milestone for India as it became the fourth country after Russia, USA and China to successfully land a vehicle on the moon. This success comes after a failed attempt four years ago.

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

Indian “Aditya-L1” probe to study Sun

On September 2, India launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, a major new step in space exploration, aimed at exploring the Sun. The launch came a week after India successfully landed an unmanned rover on the moon's south pole.

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

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

Japanese “Moon Sniper” vehicle

Japan launched the H-IIA rocket carrying the lunar probe rover on September 7, aiming to become 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 sent the smart lander to explore the moon.

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

Space travel and space tourism

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

Five days later, on May 30, the record for the number of people in orbit simultaneously was broken, with 17 people in orbit at the same time, including 6 on China's Tiangong Space Station, 7 on the International Space Station, and 4 members of the Axiom 2 crew on the International Space Station.

Notably, Axiom 2 is managed by Axiom Space in collaboration with Saudi Space Agency and launched by SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It aims to study various fields like cancer, cloud seeding, microgravity effect etc. Space. The mission will also include the first Saudi astronaut to reach the International Space Station.

A Saudi astronaut and a Saudi astronaut

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that it will send the first Saudi female astronaut and male astronaut to the International Space Station in the second quarter of 2023. Rayana Barnawi and Ali Al-Kharni will join the crew of the “AX-2” space mission.

The AX-2 mission began when the spacecraft lifted off from Florida on May 21, and its successful docking with the International Space Station was announced 16 hours after launch. The two Saudi Arabian 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 cosmonaut, Maryam Ferduz and Ali Al-Khamdi. The Saudi Space Agency announced the spacecraft's landing in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on May 31, and pointed to the success of the scientific flight and its contribution to research that serves humanity and improves the kingdom's capabilities in the space travel industry.

Emirati astronaut

In just a few years, the UAE has succeeded in achieving its grand ambitions in the space sector 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, resulting in achievements that everyone can be proud of.

Sultan Saif Al Neyadi took part in the 69th mission to the International Space Station last April, where he went into space to carry out maintenance and modernization work for the space station. External work includes completing a series of preparations for the installation of new solar panels on the station to ensure the stability of the International Space Station and provide the necessary solar power.

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

Source: Akbareliom