The Webb Telescope has amazed space enthusiasts and scientists with its views of the universe, but we could get new uses from orbiting observatories.
Probably the most important mission is Xuntian, a Chinese mission launched later this year that will be a more advanced version of the Hubble Space Telescope. The spacecraft will study the universe in optical and ultraviolet wavelengths in Earth orbit near the country’s Tiangong space station.
The Japanese-led XRISM mission, called Almiron, could also launch earlier this year. The mission will use X-ray spectroscopy to study plasma clouds, which could help explain the formation of the universe. A European space telescope, Euclid, can be launched on a SpaceX rocket after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused the spacecraft to lose its seat on a Russian Soyuz rocket. It will study the dark energy of the universe and dark matter.
New planetary mission
A new spacecraft will be heading to Jupiter this year, aiming to be the first to orbit another planet’s moon. The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer, or JUICE, will launch from its Ariane 5 rocket on April 5 to launch into the Jovian system, arriving in 2031. Once it reaches the gas giant, it will proceed to 35 overflights. Of the world’s three giant moons: Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede, all are believed to have subterranean oceans. In 2034, JUICE will orbit Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system.
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