As 2024 draws to a close, the excitement in the space sector is palpable. Recently, Blue Origin celebrated a milestone with its 28th mission, successfully sending six civilians on a thrilling ten-minute flight aboard the New Shepard spacecraft. Among the crew was aerospace engineer Emily Calandrelli, who made history by becoming the 100th woman to journey into space. Looking ahead, Blue Origin is gearing up for the inaugural launch of its New Glenn rocket, scheduled for December.
Other significant endeavors in the space realm have included Rocket Lab’s launches from New Zealand and Virginia, as well as SpaceX’s sixth Starship test. On the governmental side, JAXA successfully deployed a defense satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center, while Roscosmos launched satellites aimed at monitoring the Earth’s ionosphere.
Here are five thrilling space missions you won’t want to miss in December 2024:
Five notable space missions to keep an eye on this December:
- Dec. 2: SpaceX’s radio satellite mission for SiriusXM: Witness the Falcon 9 rocket take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, deploying the SXM-9 satellite designed by Maxar Technologies, which will enhance the SiriusXM satellite network.
- Dec. 3: Arianespace supports an environmental data initiative. A Vega C rocket will launch the Sentinel-1C satellite, aiding the European Commission with vital radar imagery for disaster management and climate studies.
- Dec. 20: ISRO’s space docking endeavor. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to conduct a Space Docking Experiment aimed at facilitating future missions involving crew transfers between spacecraft or refueling operations.
- TBD: Japan’s ispace aims for lunar exploration. The ispace lunar mission features the Resilience lander, which will carry a rover, a radiation probe, and a unique art project to the Moon.
- TBD: Anticipate Blue Origin’s inaugural New Glenn launch. The much-anticipated launch of the New Glenn rocket will test the company’s Blue Ring hardware, marking a key step forward in Blue Origin’s ambitious plans for space exploration.
