James Webb Space Telescope
This Nasa telescope, which is to replace the Hubble, has been subjected to many delays – the first planned launch was in 2007. A launch in March 2020 was delayed due to Covid, while the initial budget from $ 500 million to over $ 10 billion increased (£ 7.4 billion). It is a more sensitive telescope than the Hubble and once in operation, it can detect the formation of some of the first galaxies. It will be launched on October 31 on a European Ariane 5 rocket.
March shipments
Three missions already launched have a Mars encounter in 2021. On February 9, the UAE probe must arrive from the UAE and orbit the planet to study its atmosphere and weather. A few days later, the Chinese Tianwen-1 orbit arrives to search for a possible landing site before landing a lander on the surface a few months later. Also in February, Nasa’s Mars 2020 should join the party and release its Perseverance rover on February 18, looking for signs of microbial life and drilling for rocks that could be brought back to Earth by a future mission.
Artemis 1
Last year, Nasa announced plans to take astronauts back to the moon in 2024. The first phase of this program – to send an unmanned spacecraft to orbit the moon – will begin in November. However, further delays are likely and the cost of the program will be investigated by the incoming Biden administration.
Chinese space station
The first module of this long-planned project will be launched in the first half of the year. The construction should take about two years and 18 taikonauts have been selected to man the rig once it is about 380 km above the earth in orbit.
Dart Mission
In July, Nasa will begin its Double Asteroid Redirection Test. A probe will be shot into space with the aim of visiting the asteroid Didymos in 2022; it will then hit the asteroid’s moon, Dimorphos. Two European vessels will monitor its impact and impact on the rock track.