2022 was already a happening year with some heart-satisfying events. We are anticipating 2023 to be even more exciting. These are the events we are anxiously waiting for to happen this year.
Boeing Crewed Flight Test (April)
Scheduled for April 2023, this will be the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner and the third orbital flight test of the Starliner overall after the two uncrewed flight tests, OFT-1 and OFT-2.
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (April)
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is an interplanetary spacecraft in development by the ESA and Airbus Defence and Space. The mission will study three of Jupiter’s Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa.
It is scheduled to launch in April 2023.
Rocket Lab’s mission to Venus (May)
Rocket Lab in collaboration with MIT is sending the first private mission to Venus in search of supporting evidence of organic compounds in the cloud layer – traces of life. Electron launch vehicle and Photon spacecraft will be used for this mission, scheduled to be launched in May.
India’s Chandrayaan 3 (June)
It is a planned third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission will be similar to Chandrayaan-2 but will only include a lander and rover (not the orbiter).
The spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in June 2023.
ESA’s Euclid space telescope (July)
Euclid is a visible-to-near-infrared space telescope currently under development by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Euclid Consortium. The objective of the Euclid mission is to better understand dark energy and dark matter by accurately measuring the acceleration of the universe.
It will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in July 2023.
OSIRIS-Rex, to return with asteroid sample (September)
OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA asteroid-study and sample-return mission. It was launched on 8 September 2016 and on 20 October 2020, OSIRIS-REx touched down on the asteroid Bennu and successfully collected a sample.
OSIRIS-REx is expected to return with its sample to Earth on 24 September 2023.
Asteroid mission, Psyche (October)
Psyche is another asteroid mission, being jointly operated by NASA and Arizona state university. It is an asteroid orbiter mission with the purpose to explore the origin of planetary cores by studying the metallic asteroid. It is scheduled for October 10, 2023.
Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment (PRIME 1)
The PRIME-1 will be the first in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the Moon. In this mission, NASA will also robotically sample and analyze for ice from below the surface. It is scheduled to launch in 2023.
JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) will demonstrate precision landing technology. SLIM will be Japan’s first lunar surface mission, and will demonstrate precise, pinpoint lunar landing.
It is also scheduled to launch in 2023.
SpaceX Starship orbital test flight
SpaceX plans on using Starship Prototypes, Ship 24 and Booster 7 for its first orbital test. While no confirmed date has been provided for the launch, it is expected to happen in 2023.
