Major Space Missions Planned in 2021
2021-01-25
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1After a series of successful space missions during the past year, 2021 promises some exciting new international exploration projects.
2Three nations have launched spacecraft designed to begin exploring Mars in 2021.
3The U.S. space agency, NASA, is expecting its explorer, called Perseverance, to land on the Red Planet on February 18.
4The explorer, or rover, is on a mission to "search for signs of life and collect rock and soil samples," NASA says.
5Perseverance is NASA's fifth Mars explorer.
6It is carrying a small experimental helicopter, called Ingenuity.
7The device would be the first to test the abilities of such a craft on another planet.
8One important experiment will test a device designed to capture carbon dioxide from Mars' atmosphere and turn it into oxygen.
9China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft launched last July on a mission to search Mars for signs of water.
10It is also expected to reach Mars in February.
11The spacecraft will attempt to land at Utopia Planitia, a large flat area in the northern half of the planet.
12Once there, Tianwen-1 will deploy a rover for exploration.
13The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched its Hope Probe in July 2020.
14The explorer is also to reach the Red Planet next month.
15The country describes Hope as "the first probe to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere and its layers."
16The mission will study climate and weather activity on the lower atmosphere of Mars.
17Hope will also observe and study hydrogen and oxygen in the Martian upper atmosphere, the UAE's space agency said.
18Boeing is expected to carry out another unpiloted flight test of its Starliner spacecraft.
19The company was chosen by NASA - along with America's SpaceX - for its Commercial Crew Program.
20The program uses private spacecraft to transport U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
21SpaceX has already completed two successful crewed missions to the ISS.
22If Boeing's unpiloted test goes well, the company is expected to move ahead with its first crewed test flight of Starliner.
23NASA said it plans to complete final preparations for the first flight of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for a possible launch sometime in the autumn.
24The flight would be the first unpiloted test flight for SLS and Orion.
25The goal is to complete a month-long mission around the moon.
26The test is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024.
27The program's long-term goal is to establish a continued human presence on the moon.
28In late July, NASA says it will launch its first "test for planetary defense" against asteroids.
29The mission is called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART).
30It will send a spacecraft to purposely crash into an asteroid at a high speed in an attempt to change the asteroid's orbit in space.
31The target is a near-Earth asteroid called Didymos.
32The operation will only be a test of defensive capability, since Didymos represents no threat to Earth.
33In October, NASA plans to launch its Lucy space mission.
34The operation aims to study a population of unusual objects orbiting Jupiter known as the Trojan asteroids.
35The space agency says the mission will involve a 12-year trip to eight different asteroids.
36Also in October, NASA plans to launch its James Webb Space Telescope which has been delayed several times.
37It is NASA's replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in operation for 30 years.
38The James Webb is a large infrared telescope that has a nearly seven-meter mirror for observing space.
39NASA says the mission is designed to look deeper into space and offer more answers about the past of the universe than any other spacecraft.
40I'm Bryan Lynn.
1After a series of successful space missions during the past year, 2021 promises some exciting new international exploration projects. 2Three nations have launched spacecraft designed to begin exploring Mars in 2021. 3The U.S. space agency, NASA, is expecting its explorer, called Perseverance, to land on the Red Planet on February 18. The explorer, or rover, is on a mission to "search for signs of life and collect rock and soil samples," NASA says. 4Perseverance is NASA's fifth Mars explorer. It is carrying a small experimental helicopter, called Ingenuity. The device would be the first to test the abilities of such a craft on another planet. One important experiment will test a device designed to capture carbon dioxide from Mars' atmosphere and turn it into oxygen. 5China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft launched last July on a mission to search Mars for signs of water. It is also expected to reach Mars in February. The spacecraft will attempt to land at Utopia Planitia, a large flat area in the northern half of the planet. Once there, Tianwen-1 will deploy a rover for exploration. 6The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched its Hope Probe in July 2020. The explorer is also to reach the Red Planet next month. The country describes Hope as "the first probe to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere and its layers." 7The mission will study climate and weather activity on the lower atmosphere of Mars. Hope will also observe and study hydrogen and oxygen in the Martian upper atmosphere, the UAE's space agency said. 8New space vehicles to be tested 9Boeing is expected to carry out another unpiloted flight test of its Starliner spacecraft. The company was chosen by NASA - along with America's SpaceX - for its Commercial Crew Program. The program uses private spacecraft to transport U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has already completed two successful crewed missions to the ISS. 10If Boeing's unpiloted test goes well, the company is expected to move ahead with its first crewed test flight of Starliner. 11NASA said it plans to complete final preparations for the first flight of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for a possible launch sometime in the autumn. The flight would be the first unpiloted test flight for SLS and Orion. The goal is to complete a month-long mission around the moon. 12The test is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024. The program's long-term goal is to establish a continued human presence on the moon. 13NASA tests planetary defense 14In late July, NASA says it will launch its first "test for planetary defense" against asteroids. The mission is called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). It will send a spacecraft to purposely crash into an asteroid at a high speed in an attempt to change the asteroid's orbit in space. The target is a near-Earth asteroid called Didymos. The operation will only be a test of defensive capability, since Didymos represents no threat to Earth. 15In October, NASA plans to launch its Lucy space mission. The operation aims to study a population of unusual objects orbiting Jupiter known as the Trojan asteroids. The space agency says the mission will involve a 12-year trip to eight different asteroids. 16Also in October, NASA plans to launch its James Webb Space Telescope which has been delayed several times. It is NASA's replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in operation for 30 years. 17The James Webb is a large infrared telescope that has a nearly seven-meter mirror for observing space. NASA says the mission is designed to look deeper into space and offer more answers about the past of the universe than any other spacecraft. 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and NASA. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 20We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 21_____________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23mission - n. the flight of a spacecraft to perform a certain task or job 24sample - n. a small amount of something that gives information about what it was taken from 25probe - n. a vehicle used to examine or observe something closely 26layer - n. a level of something spread over an area 27asteroid - n. small planets or space rocks that orbit the sun 28capability - n. the ability to do a certain job or task 29mirror - n. a piece of glass that reflects light or images