2024 in spaceflight

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2024 in spaceflight
Highlights from spaceflight in 2023[a]
Orbital launches
First1 January
Last9 January
Total7
Successes7
Failures0
Catalogued6
Rockets
Maiden flights

This article documents notable spaceflight events that have happened or are going to happen during the year 2024. Upcoming astronomical and space events for 2024 have been presented in The New York Times.[1]

Overview[edit]

Astronomy and Astrophysics[edit]

On New Year's Day at 3:40 UTC, ISRO launched their XPoSat for studying X-ray polarization.[2][3] [4]

Aditya-L1 spacecraft launched by ISRO got inserted into a Halo orbit around L1 point on January 6. It will study the solar atmosphere, solar magnetic storms, and their impact on the environment around the Earth.

Einstein Probe, X-ray space telescope mission by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in partnership with ESA and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) dedicated to time-domain high-energy astrophysics, was launched on 9 January 2024.[5]

European Space Agency will launch their PROBA-3 dual satellites for solar coronagraphy.

Exploration of the Solar System[edit]

NASA plans to launch the Europa Clipper in October, which will study the Jovian moon Europa while in orbit around Jupiter.

Hera will launch to Didymos asteroid to study the after effects of Double Asteroid Redirection Test.

NASA's EscaPADE mission to Mars is also planned to launch this year.

Lunar exploration[edit]

2024 will be a particularly eventful year for the exploration of the Moon. SLIM will attempt a lunar landing on 19 January. Peregrine successfully launched to the Moon on 8 January. Nova-C, VIPER and Blue Ghost are all planned to launch to the Moon this year. China plans to send Chang'e 6 in May, which will conduct the first lunar sample return from the far side of the Moon.[6] Pakistan will send a lunar orbiter called ICECUBE-Q along with Chang'e 6.

Human spaceflight[edit]

NASA plans to launch the Artemis 2 mission on the Space Launch System, sending astronauts around the Moon on a ten-day lunar flyby.

ISRO will launch their Gaganyaan uncrewed missions and SPADEX docking experiment this year. Polaris Dawn, featuring the first commercial spacewalk, is also on track to launch in first half of this year.

SpaceX plans to launch Axiom Mission 3 and Axiom Mission 4 aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station, with Axiom-3 possibly being the first crewed launch from Cape Canaveral SFS since Apollo 7 on October 1968.

Rocket Innovation[edit]

The maiden flight of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur took place on 8 January 2024. Vulcan is the first methane fueled rocket to reach orbit on its first attempt, and the first to reach orbit from the US.[7]

The maiden flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn is planned for August 2024.[8]

Satellite technology[edit]

NISAR, the costliest satellite and biggest radar imaging satellite will be launched from India onboard GSLV Mk-II by late February 2024.[9]

Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem or PACE, a NASA Earth observing satellite in design phase, has a launch scheduled for 2024.

NASA's Dream Chaser spaceplane, developed by Sierra Space, is scheduled to have its first flight to the International Space Station in April.[10]

Orbital launches[edit]

Main articles: List of spaceflight launches in January–June 2024 and List of spaceflight launches in July–December 2024
List of orbital launches
Month Num. of successes Num. of failures Num. of partial failures
January 7 0 0
February TBD TBD TBD
March TBD TBD TBD
April TBD TBD TBD
May TBD TBD TBD
June TBD TBD TBD
July TBD TBD TBD
August TBD TBD TBD
September TBD TBD TBD
October TBD TBD TBD
November TBD TBD TBD
December TBD TBD TBD
Total 7 0 0

Deep-space rendezvous[edit]

Date (UTC) Spacecraft Event Remarks
19 January SLIM Lunar landing [11]
Late January Peregrine Lunar orbit insertion
3 February Juno 58th perijove On the day of this perijove, Juno will fly by Io. Orbital period around Jupiter reduced to 33 days.[12][13]
23 February Peregrine Lunar landing [14]
23 August JUICE Gravity assist at Earth and Moon
5 September BepiColombo Fourth gravity assist at Mercury
6 November Parker Solar Probe Seventh gravity assist at Venus
2 December BepiColombo Fifth gravity assist at Mercury
13 December Lucy Second gravity assist at Earth Target altitude 350 km
24 December Parker Solar Probe 22nd perihelion, closest approach to the Sun

Extravehicular activities (EVAs)[edit]

Start Date/Time Duration End Time Spacecraft Crew Remarks

Orbital launch statistics[edit]

By country[edit]

For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. For example, Electron rockets launched from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand are counted under the United States because Electron is an American rocket.

China: 2Europe: 0Germany: 0India: 1Iran: 0Israel: 0Japan: 0North Korea: 0Russia: 0South Korea: 0USA: 4
Country Launches Successes Failures Partial
failures 		Remarks
 China 2 2 0 0
 India 1 1 0 0
 United States 4 4 0 0 Includes Electron launches from Mahia
World 7 7 0 0

By rocket[edit]

By family[edit]

By type[edit]

By configuration[edit]

By spaceport[edit]

1
2
3
4
5
China
France
India
Japan
Kazakhstan
New Zealand
Russia
South Korea
United Kingdom
United States
Site Country Launches Successes Failures Partial failures Remarks
Cape Canaveral  United States 3 3 0 0
Jiuquan  China 1 1 0 0
Satish Dhawan  India 1 1 0 0
Vandenberg  United States 1 1 0 0
Xichang  China 1 1 0 0
Total 7 7 0 0

By orbit[edit]

  •   Transatmospheric
  •   Low Earth
  •   Low Earth (ISS)
  •   Low Earth (CSS)
  •   Low Earth (SSO)
  •   Low Earth (polar)
  •   Low Earth (retrograde)
  •   Medium Earth
  •   Molniya
  •   Geosynchronous
  •   Tundra
  •   High Earth
  •   Lunar transfer
  •   Heliocentric
  •  
Orbital regime Launches Achieved Not achieved Accidentally
achieved 		Remarks
Transatmospheric 0 0 0 0
Low Earth / Sun-synchronous 5 5 0 0 Including flights to ISS and Tiangong (CSS)
Geosynchronous / Tundra / GTO 1 1 0 0
Medium Earth / Molniya 0 0 0 0
High Earth / Lunar transfer 1 1 0 0
Heliocentric orbit / Planetary transfer 0 0 0 0
Total 7 7 0 0

Suborbital launch statistics[edit]

By country[edit]

For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of suborbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. Flights intended to fly below 80 km (50 mi) are omitted.


Planned maiden flights[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Clockwise from top:

References[edit]

  1. ^ Staff (1 January 2024). "Sync Your Calendar With the Solar System - Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other astronomical and space event that's out of this world". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  2. ^ Majkowska, Iwona (26 September 2023). "ISRO Plans Mars Lander Mission After Successful Lunar Mission". Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  3. ^ "ISRO set to launch Shukrayaan and XPoSat missions to exploring the universe's mysteries". Hindustan Times. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Halo-Orbit Insertion of Aditya-L1 Successfully Accomplished". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Einstein Probe lifts off on a mission to monitor the X-ray sky". www.esa.int.
  6. ^ Andrew Jones [@AJ_FI] (25 April 2023). "China's Chang'e-6 sample return mission (a first ever lunar far side sample-return) is scheduled to launch in May 2024, and expected to take 53 days from launch to return module touchdown. Targeting southern area of Apollo basin (~43º S, 154º W)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Belam, Martin (8 January 2024). "Nasa Peregrine 1 launch: Vulcan Centaur rocket carrying Nasa moon lander lifts off in Florida – live updates". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (21 November 2023). "NASA Mars smallsat mission to be on first New Glenn launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  9. ^ Pillai, Soumya (22 December 2023). "Three launches in Q1: ISRO's upcoming missions in 2024". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  10. ^ Klotz, Irene; Reim, Garrett (25 October 2023). "ULA Sets Dec. 24 As Target Date For Vulcan's Debut". Aviation Week. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  11. ^ Jones, Andrew (25 December 2023). "Japan's SLIM successfully enters lunar orbit, gears up for precision moon landing". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  12. ^ Talbert, Tricia (8 January 2021). "NASA Extends Exploration for Two Planetary Science Missions". NASA. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  13. ^ "NASA's Juno Mission Expands Into the Future". NASA.gov. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  14. ^ Foust, Jeff (8 January 2024). "Vulcan Centaur launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural mission". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Ariane 6 joint update report, 30 November 2023". ESA. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Precious Payload Partners With Maritime Launch, Adding Canada's First Commercial Spaceport, Spaceport Nova Scotia, to Launch.ctrl Marketplace". Business Wire (Press release). 8 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Gilmour Space announces first 'Caravan' rideshare mission to LEO". Gilmour Space Technologies (Press release). 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  18. ^ China 'N Asia Spaceflight [@CNSpaceflight] (8 March 2023). "ORIENSPACE now targets the 4th quarter of 2023 for the maiden launch of Gravitation-1 and the second quarter of 2024 for the 2nd launch. There are still ~1 tonnes and ~2 tonnes capacity respectively available for additional customers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ China N' Asia Spaceflight [@CNSpaceflight] (3 January 2023). "CASC had a planning meeting today of 2023 missions, affirming Long March 6C to debut in 2023, and 50+ launches are planned in the year" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Jones, Andrew (20 December 2023). "Chinese launch startup Galactic Energy raises $154 million for Pallas-1 reusable rocket". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  21. ^ Jones, Andrew (15 November 2023). "Rocket Factory Augsburg perceives historic moment for European launch industry". SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  22. ^ Pooran, Neil; Picksley, Dominic (24 June 2023). "Shetland's SaxaVord spaceport will soon be launching satellites into orbit". Express. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Quarter 4, 2022 in review". Skyrora (Press release). 12 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  24. ^ "天兵科技大型液体运载火箭天龙三号邀您一起见证首飞" [Tianbing Technology’s large liquid launch vehicle Tianlong 3 invites you to witness its first flight]. Space Pioneer. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Launchers". Equatorial Space. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2022.

External links[edit]

Generic references:

 Spaceflight portal
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