Space Exploration in the 21st Century: Active Today and Prospective in the Coming Years

The advancement in space exploration came to another phase in the 20th century, with the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957, and then exploring the outer space with the first human setting foot on the moon in 1969. With the onset of the twenty first century, agencies involved in space exploration started charting higher objectives such as establishing a sustainable human colony on Mars.

There are several space probes which are currently in transit to Mars with an aim of purchasing more information about the climate, geology, and possibility of life. Perseverance Rover was launched and landed in Mars in 2021 where it was to look for signs of past microscopic life and drill rock samples. The ExoMars rover, which is ongoing mission by ESA, will be launched to Mars in 2022 in order to look for signs of life. These missions create the basis for further more complex and manned missions to the Martian planet.

Rovers, satellites, and other technologies persistently traverse to other worlds in the solar system. A probe that is currently researching the Jupiter is Juno which is getting important information on the atmosphere and the magnetic field of the planet New Horizons probe that made flyby of Pluto in 2015 to have closer images of the surface of the dwarf planet. The spacecraft named Cassini carried out observational analyses of Saturn and its moons for 13 years before it was piloted into the planet’s atmosphere to conclude the mission in 2017. Europa Clipper mission that is set to launch in the near future aims to closely analyze Jupiter’s moon Europa that might support extraterrestrial life beneath its ice exterior.

A notable project that symbolizes the cooperative efforts of numerous countries is the International Space Station (ISS). Orbiting at an altitude of approximately 420 kilometers, this versatile microgravity research platform has enabled us to investigate the physiological consequences of long-duration space travel and experiment with some of the technologies that might be required to reach to distant destinations in the solar system. The first of the ISS modules was completed in 2011, and agencies are now planning successors to the ISS that would act as mission outposts for lunar and Mars missions.

Artemis is a human space exploration program that NASA is developing to prepare for the possibility of landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. It also includes deployment of facilities such as the Lunar Gateway which is designed to support sustained human presence on and around lunar orbits. This has been considered as the first big step towards the crewed Mars mission which according to NASA, could happen at the earliest in mid 2030s.

The 21st century opens a new arena in terms of space travel and exploration. As current missions collect larger quantities of data concerning Mars and other targets, business magnates such as Elon Musk of SpaceX and Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin continuously develop reusability and affordable space travel through their personal endeavors. Unquestionably, the day when people will be able to travel to space for leisure is not far away due to such inventions. This is the age where many countries are capable of putting their satellites or other entities in space thus effective cooperation is vital in expanding the frontier while maintaining harmony as well as the sustainability of space. The advancement of space explorations that we have seen so far towards this direction promises that as humanity continues to seek the unknown in space using science, the better it will be in the future.

The advancement in space exploration came to another phase in the 20th century, with the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957, and then exploring the outer space with the first human setting foot on the moon in 1969. With the onset of the twenty first century, agencies involved in space exploration started charting higher objectives such as establishing a sustainable human colony on Mars.

There are several space probes which are currently in transit to Mars with an aim of purchasing more information about the climate, geology, and possibility of life. Perseverance Rover was launched and landed in Mars in 2021 where it was to look for signs of past microscopic life and drill rock samples. The ExoMars rover, which is ongoing mission by ESA, will be launched to Mars in 2022 in order to look for signs of life. These missions create the basis for further more complex and manned missions to the Martian planet.

Rovers, satellites, and other technologies persistently traverse to other worlds in the solar system. A probe that is currently researching the Jupiter is Juno which is getting important information on the atmosphere and the magnetic field of the planet New Horizons probe that made flyby of Pluto in 2015 to have closer images of the surface of the dwarf planet. The spacecraft named Cassini carried out observational analyses of Saturn and its moons for 13 years before it was piloted into the planet’s atmosphere to conclude the mission in 2017. Europa Clipper mission that is set to launch in the near future aims to closely analyze Jupiter’s moon Europa that might support extraterrestrial life beneath its ice exterior.

A notable project that symbolizes the cooperative efforts of numerous countries is the International Space Station (ISS). Orbiting at an altitude of approximately 420 kilometers, this versatile microgravity research platform has enabled us to investigate the physiological consequences of long-duration space travel and experiment with some of the technologies that might be required to reach to distant destinations in the solar system. The first of the ISS modules was completed in 2011, and agencies are now planning successors to the ISS that would act as mission outposts for lunar and Mars missions.

Artemis is a human space exploration program that NASA is developing to prepare for the possibility of landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. It also includes deployment of facilities such as the Lunar Gateway which is designed to support sustained human presence on and around lunar orbits. This has been considered as the first big step towards the crewed Mars mission which according to NASA, could happen at the earliest in mid 2030s.

The 21st century opens a new arena in terms of space travel and exploration. As current missions collect larger quantities of data concerning Mars and other targets, business magnates such as Elon Musk of SpaceX and Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin continuously develop reusability and affordable space travel through their personal endeavors. Unquestionably, the day when people will be able to travel to space for leisure is not far away due to such inventions. This is the age where many countries are capable of putting their satellites or other entities in space thus effective cooperation is vital in expanding the frontier while maintaining harmony as well as the sustainability of space. The advancement of space explorations that we have seen so far towards this direction promises that as humanity continues to seek the unknown in space using science, the better it will be in the future.