What happened in space in 2022? The meetings were numerous, some historical, all marked by the war in Ukraine, which highlighted the tensions in this conquered territory. We take stock.
2022 confirms a turning point in space that began earlier this decade: Thousands of satellites are now being launched into space: 185 flights in 2022 with nearly 2,500 satellites broadcast. The war in Ukraine has transformed a part of space that remains the scene of innovation (such as spaceplanes in competition between China, X-37B and Space Rider) but also of threats (e.g. space debris). New competitions, new unprecedented exploration challenges: the role of space agencies is growing and budgets are increasing.
The incredible dates of solar system exploration in 2022
We can only rejoice in this new era of exploration that we are entering. The success of Artemis I provided the impetus for astronauts to return to the moon. As construction of the International Space Station Gateway progresses, NASA’s Capstone probe, Nasa, has begun testing its orbit. NASA has also ordered the future spacesuits for the lunar marches, linchpins in determining the date of our return to the surface. 2022 was the scene of several departures, including the first-ever private surface mission Hakuto-R M1 with the small Emirati rover Rashid on board, and also the first-ever South Korean lunar probe KPLO (aka Danuri).
The Red Planet has been full of surprises this year. Mars InSight recently passed away, but the data has already revealed many discoveries. For their part, the rovers CuriosityCuriosity and PerseverancePerseverance continue to roam the Martian soil. Perseverance deposited a first sample to bring back to Earth. NASA has also chosen to rely on the power of the rover and the IngenuityIngenuity drone (20 flights in 2022, 37 in total) to bring the samples back to the rocket on Earth. Finally, ESA decided to rescue the Exomars rover Exomars without a Russian lander.
Finally, in 2022, there was the tremendous impact of NASA’s DartDart spacecraft on the asteroid Asteroid Dimorphos to deviate from its course. A promising success with the threat of an impact on Earth by a destructive asteroid, which delighted China and Europe.
The promise of science in orbit
Space has rarely been as inhabited as it is today: there have always been more than seven astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) and even a tourist mission. China, for its part, could have up to six astronauts in space at one time during an initial crew rotation aboard its now-completed space station. Finally, ESA unveiled its new sponsorship of astronauts, including French Sophie Adenot.
2022 is also the beginning of the James Webb Era (JWSTJWST). Launched into orbit at Christmas 2021, the space telescope of all superlatives has been in operation since July 11 and is continuously providing us with breathtaking images. Other notable satellites were also deployed in 2022: the French Swot to explore rivers or the first-ever Chinese solar space telescope, ASO-S.
The generation change of launch vehicles
SpaceX has kept its bet: 60 flights in 2022, half of which will be devoted to deploying the StarlinkStarlink megaconstellation. The latter sees the arrival of competition with the resumption of OneWebOneWeb flights after a major blow from the war in Ukraine that deprived the West of SoyuzSoyuz missiles. Other constellations are on the horizon, such as that of AST Space MobileMobile and its giant Bluewalker 3 demonstrator, or the announcement of a future European constellation (IRIS²) and the giant deal with Amazon reserving 18 Ariane 6Ariane 6 flights.
On the European side, we are suffering from the delays of Ariane 6. While Ariane 5 Ariane 5 is making its last flights (more than two in 2023), Vega is getting a makeover with its more powerful Vega-C version. But the second flight (December 21) was a failure and caused the loss of two French Pleiades Neo observation satellites. There were other failures: the Zhuque-2 (China), which nearly became the first-ever methane-fueled orbital launch vehicle, or the multiple failures of Astra Space in the United States. Finally, South Korea comes with a bang with the success of its first-ever 100% indigenous launch vehicle. In fact, sovereignty is one of the key words of space in 2022.