The year 2023 has been filled with milestones and stories of significant advancements beyond Earth. Let's look deeper at some of the greatest highlights of the global space journey this year.
SpaceX Starship's Explosive First and Second Launches
SpaceX's Starship dubbed the world's most powerful rocket, saw its first flight attempt on April 20, 2023. The massive rocket successfully blasted off from its launchpad, situated in South Texas. It launched on top of SpaceX's Super Heavy booster rocket.
The launch successfully peaked at an altitude of 24.2 miles above the ground. The spacecraft saw an explosive climax after roughly four minutes in the air. While the massive rocket's first launch ended explosively, the first flight test was still seen as a successful milestone for SpaceX.
Starship then saw its second launch on November 18, 2023. While the spacecraft successfully reached space this time, communication with the craft suddenly got lost. SpaceX officials reported that the craft's self-destruct system made it blast over the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX appears to be working on having its third launch in the coming weeks, should a license be granted in time.
Asteroid Bennu Samples Reach Earth
NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe deployed a sample-containing capsule roughly 102,000 kilometers above the Earth. The capsule was then found to land over the Utah desert successfully, signifying the asteroid samples' successful transport.
The capsule contained samples from Bennu, a potentially hazardous asteroid with a 0.037% chance of hitting the Earth. The asteroid is believed to hold clues regarding the sources of life.
Virgin Galactic Sees Success on First Manned Tourist Flight to Space
Space venture firm Virgin Galactic saw the success of its first commercial flight to space, wherein three civilian passengers got to tour space and safely return to Earth. The passengers included Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers, a mother-daughter duo, and Jon Goodwin, an 80-year-old former Olympian from the UK.
The craft soared at triple the speed of light to an altitude of over 50 miles. During the space flight, the three passengers could experience zero gravity conditions, which Schahaff described as feeling like nothingness.
India's Chandrayaan-3 Reaches the Lunar South Pole in a Historic First
On August 23, India's Chandrayaan-3 was able to successfully land close to the south pole of the Moon, making India the first country in the world to pull off such a feat.
The successful landing also made India the world's fourth nation to reach the lunar surface successfully. The country only comes after the US, the former Soviet Union, and China.
Read also: Chandrayaan-3 Misses Crucial Wake-Up Call During Lunar Night: What Could Have Possibly Gone Wrong?
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