Exciting Upcoming Launches You Should Keep An Eye On
Right now it seems as if everywhere you look within the space industry something is happening. With the combination of large agencies such as NASA along with all the companies making impressive strides, progress is everywhere. This is very exciting however it can be hard to keep track of everything going on and what to expect in the near future.
Within a short period of time, we are expecting a large number of important and interesting launches. This includes the Ax-1 Mission, Artemis 1, Rocket Lab’s Black Sky, Starship, and more. All of which are not only expected to happen within the next few weeks or months, but are also significant launches for a host of different reasons. This includes them being either first-ever launches, sending important payloads into space, etc.
It can be hard to keep track of all these upcoming missions not only because there are so many but because dates are constantly changing. This has to do with random delays, complications, changes in plans, and more. However, based on information from not only the companies and agencies but additional sources, we can give a good idea of when and what to expect. Here I will go more in-depth into some of these exciting launches that are just around the corner.
Ax-1 ISS Mission
Axiom Space along with SpaceX, are working on flying history’s first private ISS mission. On this mission, three humans from three countries with three different stories, are set to be united as one on the crew of Ax-1 by their demonstrated commitments to improving the lives of people on Earth. Axiom is working with each Axionaut to design on-orbit activities that will fit their mission goals and allow them to shine a global spotlight on the causes that matter most in the world. Specifically, just over a week from now on April 3rd, a Falcon 9 with a Dragon Capsule on top is set to lift off with the private astronauts on board and take them to the International Space Station. From here the crew will spend 8 days on the space station conducting a large variety of science and research. Taking a closer look at the plan once onboard the ISS, each astronaut will conduct innovative research developed for microgravity on behalf of major organizations ranging from hospitals to technology companies. Critical findings from the extensive array of experiments will make their way back to Earth and humankind.
As we know Axiom Space has very big plans for the future. This includes developing and manufacturing next-generation segments of a space station before launching them to the ISS. The plan would be to build up the station over time and detach the Axiom segments once the International Space Station is retired. Over the past few years, Axiom has been working hard to create updated and high quality space station segments and components for the future of space access. While this upcoming mission is not bringing any future space station parts, it is a good first step for the company and helps highlight its values and plans for the future. The description of the Ax-1 Mission Crew Patch is a great representation of this specific upcoming launch and what Axiom hopes to achieve in the future as well. Axiom mentions that, “with the first all-private crew to ever visit the International Space Station, ushers in a new era of accessibility, commercialization, and increased science on the orbiting laboratory. The Ax-1 mission patch incorporates these components as the core elements of the crew’s insignia and defines a watershed moment in human space exploration.” As I mentioned prior this is a very significant mission set to launch in only 9 days on April 3rd.
Starship Orbital Test
The next launch is still very up in the air regarding a launch date however there are a lot of factors in favor of it happening sometime soon. If you are like me you have been patiently waiting and watching Starship and Starbase progress for years now. A Starship orbital test flight would be an absolutely incredible sight to see that anyone interested in the space industry would not want to miss. At the latest, we can expect a Starship orbital test flight towards the end of 2022, however, it’s very possible it happens even sooner. Based on the most recent Starship presentation, Musk highlighted that even if the FAA approval were to not go in SpaceX’s favor and Starbase was not allowed to launch Starship, the company could launch from the Cape. This launch site has already received approval and would only need a launch tower and some other key stage 0 infrastructure. Even if this was the case Musk was confident the launch would still happen this year. However, this is the scenario if the FAA approval is not in SpaceX’s favor. Only a few days from now on March 28th, the FAA is expected to release the final PEA, or Programmatic Environmental Assessment, for the Starship program at Starbase and Boca Chica. These results will have a direct impact on the future plan of Starship, Starbase, the orbital test flight, and more.
Assuming everything goes well for SpaceX, an orbital launch only a couple of months from now is very possible. A few days ago on March 21st, Elon Musk tweeted saying, “We’ll have 39 flightworthy engines built by next month, then another month to integrate, so hopefully May for orbital flight test.” Obviously, this is not some official launch date statement and could easily change, however, it gives us a good idea of the progress SpaceX is making and a genuinely possible launch date just around the corner. In terms of a SpaceX orbital launch, it is dependent on a large list of unpredictable factors. With this in mind, it could happen sooner than you think and you will not want to miss it.
Artemis 1
Similar to the Starship orbital test flight, Artemis 1 is going to be the first-ever launch of this massive rocket. The Space Launch System is one of the most powerful launch vehicles ever built and is expected to be the backbone of future Artemis missions. This mission will be the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems. This includes the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket, and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. Taking a look at its progress and expected launch date, only a few days ago for the first time, SLS was rolled out of the VAB and slowly moved to the launch pad. The next step is the wet dress rehearsal planned to happen on April 3rd. From this point, the Space Launch System will only have a few checks left before attempting its first flight. If everything goes according to plan and NASA is able to avoid any delays, it’s possible this rocket takes off sometime in June. The success of this mission will have a direct impact on the future of Artemis and returning humans to the surface of the Moon.
Additional Launches
I just mentioned 3 very special launches that could happen in the next few months or even weeks. In addition to these launches, there are a few honorable mentions that are planned to take off even sooner. The first is Rocket Lab’s Black Sky Inc. mission. The name of this launch is Without Mission A Beat and it consists of an Electron rocket taking off from Launch Complex 1 Pad A on April 1st. This launch will carry a pair of BlackSky rapid-revisit, high-resolution Earth-imaging satellites to low Earth orbit, which will expand BlackSky’s constellation to 14 satellites. Rocket Lab has delivered the majority of BlackSky’s constellation to orbit on Electron missions since 2019. “Without Mission A Beat” will be Rocket Lab’s 25th Electron launch and will bring the total number of satellites launched by the company to 112. In addition, Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron for this mission.
The final launch is from Blue Origin. Specifically, Blue Origin recently announced the date and plan for the 20th New Shepard launch. This launch will take place in only a few days on the 29th, with a crew of 6. This crew consists of Marty Allen, Gary Lai, husband and wife duo Sharon and Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen, and Dr. George Nield. Here the group will travel to the edge of space and experience a once-in-a-lifetime view and more.
Conclusion
Right now is a very exciting time to be keeping up with the space industry. Within the next few months alone we are expecting to see some of the most important and unique launches ever. This includes Starship’s orbital test flight, the first Space Launch System launch, Ax-1, and much more. Each rocket and launch have different goals, challenges, and future plans. While the launch date for some of these missions is a bit up in the air, we can hope everything goes according to plan and they take off soon. We will have to wait and see how each company and agency progress over time and the impact it has on the space industry.