2025 Mar 14, 20:39
Ali M. Bramson, an assistant professor of Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at Purdue University, has highlighted six exciting space missions to follow in 2024. One highly anticipated mission is NASA's Europa Clipper, set to explore Jupiter's moon Europa. Scientists hope to investigate whether Europa's ocean can support extraterrestrial life
The mission will fly past Europa nearly 50 times to study its icy shell, surface geology, and subsurface ocean. The launch window opens on October 10, 2024. Another mission to look out for is Artemis II, part of NASA's plan to send humans back to the moon. This crewed mission will build upon Artemis I, which launched an uncrewed capsule into orbit around the moon in 2022. Artemis II is currently planned for launch in November 2024, with four astronauts on board. VIPER, a robot the size of a golf cart, will search for water on the moon's south pole
The mission, originally scheduled for 2023, was pushed back to 2024 to complete more tests. VIPER will rely on batteries, heat pipes, and radiators as it navigates extreme lunar temperatures. Its launch and delivery to the lunar surface are scheduled for November 2024. Lunar Trailblazer, another mission to explore water on the moon, will orbit the moon and map out the locations of water molecules across the globe. Its launch timing depends on the readiness of the primary payload, the PRIME-1 mission
JAXA's Martian Moon eXploration mission aims to determine the origin of Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, and will spend three years observing and landing on Phobos' surface to collect a sample. Lastly, ESA's Hera mission will study the physical properties of the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system. Hera will launch in October 2024 and arrive at Didymos and Dimorphos in late 2026. These missions mark an exciting year for space exploration, with scientists hoping to gain valuable insights into our solar system and the possibility of life beyond Earth.