In 2022, the space industry is thriving. If you’re a fan of space, rockets, NASA, or SpaceX, then you’ll no doubt want to learn about the year’s industry highlights so far. Luckily, this guide has got all the information you need to know.
Ready to learn? Let’s begin.
Online space research tools
Over recent years, various online space research tools, such as SpaceTrak provided by Seradata, have become extremely popular in the space industry. Now, in 2022, they’re more popular than ever; particularly with universities, governments, and space researchers.
With an online space research tool, people can stay up to date with the latest industry trends, activities, and more.
Furthermore, over the next decade, space research tools are going to become even more valuable.
SpaceX launches 46 Starlink satellites
For a while now, Elon Musk and his aerospace company SpaceX have been making some big moves in the space industry.
This month, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched 46 Starlink satellites to low-earth orbit, which was a major feat for Elon and his team. It’s also a sign of what’s to come in the future.
Although it’s still a while away yet, the hope remains that SpaceX will be the first company to successfully land humans on Mars and successfully achieve colonization. If this was to happen, though, it likely won’t be for another 20-30 years according to Elon Musk himself.
The one-year Perseverance rover anniversary on Mars
Speaking of Mars, February 18th, 2022 saw the one-year anniversary of NASA’s Perseverance rover arriving on Mars.
During this time, the Perseverance rover has captured some truly amazing photos and videos that have been sent back to earth for all of us to see.
Although any alien life has yet to be discovered on Mars, the rover has allowed NASA scientists to study the rocks and learn more about the process behind what led to the Martian crust.
NASA’s Capstone mission begins
For several decades now, NASA has maintained the ambition to finally return to the moon—and it looks like 2022 is the year that’s going to kickstart it all again.
The official Capstone mission began on June 28th, 2022, with early stages involving sending a satellite to lunar orbit so that NASA can analyze the elliptical trajectory around the moon. Naturally, the end goal of all this is to collect navigational data that will allow another successful mission to the moon. Be patient, though, as this likely won’t happen for at least a few years yet!
The data science explosion
Data science plays a huge role in astronomy. Moving into the future, this role is only going to become larger as more LEO satellites and multi-satellite constellations are put into action.
For example, modern space telescopes produce terabytes of data each time they are used, which can often put computers under greater pressure. This is where data scientists step in to fix any problems and provide valuable insight.
Similarly, data scientists must also analyze data from:
- Spacecraft
- Wave detectors
- Satellites
Because data science has such a big influence over the space industry, becoming a data scientist or analyst in the field of astronomy is proving to be very appealing to younger generations; with many having the aim to work for NASA over the coming decade.