Gaganyaan mission
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will start the series of test flights in February 2023. The space agency is also planning to use a heavy-light Chinook helicopter and the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft for testing the mission’s crew module. The module is designed to carry astronauts into orbit for three dates as part of the Gaganyaan mission.
The purpose of the crew module is to provide oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, remove humidity and maintain a living temperature as it transports the three astronauts on board. The space agency has already chosen four candidates and they have already received their initial training in Russia. Now, they are undergoing further training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru.
Chandrayaan-3
ISRO's Chandrayaan 3 is a follow-up to the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The Chandrayaan-2 failed to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. The Chandrayaan-3 will also carry a lunar lander and a lunar rover to Earth’s lone natural satellite. The mission is scheduled to launch aboard a Launch Vehicle 3 (LVM3) rocket, known as the GSLV 3, in June 2023.
Juice mission
The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning to launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission in April 2023. The Juice mission aims to complete 35 fly-bys near Jupiter and will make detailed observations about the gas giant and its three large ocean-bearing moons–Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Along with observing Jupiter's environment in-depth, the Juice mission will also characterize its moons as both planetary objects and potential habitats.
OSIRIS-Rex mission
Launched in September 2016, the OSIRIS-REx mission is carrying samples of the asteroid Bennu. It is currently on the way to return them to Earth in September 2023. Once the spacecraft reaches at around 250 kilometers above the Earth's surface, it will release a sample capsule that will make a precise landing at the United States Air Force’s Utah Test and Training range.
Visiting Asteroid Psyche
NASA is planning to launch the Psyche mission to study the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche after the OSIRIS-REx’s return. 16 Psyche revolves around the sun in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter. This asteroid appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet.Â
Instruments aboard the Psyche spacecraft will include a Multispectral Imager, a Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer, a Magnetometer and an X-band Gravity Science Investigation. The mission will also test a new laser communication technology that uses light at near-infrared wavelengths instead of radio waves to communicate with the Earth.
Bonus: Newly-developed rockets
In addition to the many science missions, various private space companies will also conduct the maiden flights of their new rockets, including, Arianespace’s Ariane 6, Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Starship and the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur.
Source: DNA