Critical events on the path back to the Moon
NASA wants to put American astronauts on the surface of the Moon in the coming years with the Artemis III mission. However, for this to happen, many things need to go right, and two of the most important are scheduled for 2024.
The first is the Artemis II mission. NASA introduced the four Artemis II astronauts last year. As soon as November, the four could travel around the moon and back. They would be the first humans to travel near the moon since 1972, when the Apollo 17 mission ended. To fly in 2024, NASA will need to solve problems with a heat shield on the astronauts’ spacecraft, as well as overcome other potential delays.
The second hurdle is that the Orion capsule can only orbit the moon – it doesn’t land. Astronauts need another vehicle to head to the surface. For now, this is a version of Starship, the spacecraft being built by SpaceX, the private spaceflight company founded by Elon Musk. But the Starship needs a lot of work before it’s ready to carry astronauts to the moon.
The Starship prototypes of Mr. Musk launched twice in 2023, and each mission ended in a fiery explosion. SpaceX has said it wants to conduct the next Starship test beginning of 2024; whether it succeeds or fails, flights of more prototypes could follow. If SpaceX gets the next Starship flights right, NASA’s prospects for putting the next man and first woman on the moon will improve in the coming years.
Total eclipse in North America
The celestial spectacle of 2024 will be the “Great North American Eclipse”. On April 8, the moon will block the sun, darkening Earth during the day. The broad path of the eclipse starts in Mexico, crosses Texas, continues through Arkansas and Missouri into southern Illinois, crosses Indiana and Ohio, then darkens western New York and the New England states before ending up in the eastern states of Canada.
If you live on the trail, get ready for visitors. (You can’t book a trip to the path of totality soon enough.) And if you plan to observe the eclipse — from anywhere — now’s the time to order eclipse glasses or other protective viewers.
New rockets and space walks
Falcon 9 rockets, built and operated by SpaceX, have become the dominant way to get to space. The Falcon Heavy launcher or variant has flown 96 times in 2023, with each orbital flight successful. However, SpaceX should expect new competitors on launch pads in 2024. They include:
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Vulcan, a rocket built by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The rocket’s engines are made by Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. It could fly on January 8.
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Ariane 6, a European rocket. The European Space Agency ran out of a dedicated vehicle to reach orbit recently, forcing Europe to rely on SpaceX and others to get spacecraft into the solar system. After a series of delays, Ariane 6’s first flight could take place in June.
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H3, a Japanese missile. This vehicle was first launched in March 2023, but failed in its attempt to put an imaging satellite into orbit. A second attempt can only be made on February 15.
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New Glenn, a rocket from Blue Origin. Mr. Bezos’ company has flown tourists to the edge of space in the smaller New Shepard vehicle. Its large orbital launcher could debut in 2024, shaking up private spaceflight if it proves successful.
New vehicles could also visit the International Space Station. Dream Chaser, a space plane built by the company Sierra Space, may carry cargo to the station for the first time this year. Additionally, the Starliner, a capsule built by Boeing, may finally carry a crew of astronauts to the outpost in orbit on April 14 after years of delays.
Lunar traffic jam
Three missions attempted to land on the Moon in 2023. Only one, India’s Chandrayaan-3, succeeded. Four additional missions – and perhaps even more – will also attempt to complete a lunar landing in 2024:
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SLIM, a Japanese mission, should be the first attempt to land on the Moon in 2024, on January 20. The small, experimental spacecraft launched in September and is already in orbit around the moon.
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Two other missions are from private companies, with NASA as the main customer. Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh company, will launch its Peregrine lunar lander on Jan. 8, which could attempt to land near the Ocean of Storms on the moon’s near side in February. Intuitive Machines of Houston will send its own lander to the Moon’s south pole as early as mid-February.
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China is also planning its fourth moon landing. Chang’e-6 could head to the far side of the moon in May, collecting samples of moon rocks and dust to bring back to Earth for study.
Other missions are more testing. Japanese company Ispace, which crashed its first craft last year, could make a second attempt later this year. And Intuitive Machines has ambitions to send two more NASA-sponsored missions to the Moon in 2024.
Travel around the Solar System
There’s a huge solar system out there, and missions big and small will set out to explore it.
The largest is the Europa Clipper, a NASA spacecraft headed for Jupiter’s moon Europa in October. Europa has an icy exterior that hides a vast ocean that scientists say could have the right conditions for life. After Clipper arrives at Europa in 2030, the spacecraft will not attempt to land there, but will study the moon during dozens of flybys.
Two new spacecraft could also head to the red planet as soon as August as part of NASA’s mini ESCAPADE mission. The spacecraft will orbit Mars and study the magnetic bubble that surrounds it.
In October, the European Space Agency will launch the Hera mission to the asteroid Dimorphos. It will study the results of a previous mission, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, which hit Dimorphos in 2022 to test whether changing the trajectory of a space rock could protect Earth from future asteroid strikes.