Japan recently became the latest country to land a space probe on the moon, marking a significant milestone in space exploration for the Asian country.
The historic landing means the country is now the fifth to mark such an achievement and has officially brought Japan into the space race. Here is where Japan and the other four countries — the United States, Russia, India, and China — stand in space exploration in 2024.
The United States
The U.S. has many rocket launches and missions planned for 2024 between government agencies and private companies. NASA, for example, is planning to launch a large spacecraft for a planetary mission in October. The spacecraft, Europa Clipper, is expected to determine whether Jupiter’s moon Europa can support life within its ocean, which is under ice. The spacecraft is expected to orbit Europa in April of 2030.
SpaceX, an American manufacturer and launcher of rockets and spacecraft founded by Elon Musk, will also be building on its flagship spacecraft, Starship, which it hopes to use to send the first human to Mars. SpaceX is also taking people to the International Space Station, but the exact timing of the launch is not clear. However, the crew, which consists of military professionals and former or active government astronauts, will be on the station for 14 days.
Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, two other aerospace manufacturers and spaceflight companies, will also take people to space in 2024, with Virgin Galactic’s latest flight having taken place on Friday.
Russia
Russia will have at least 13 rocket launches in 2024, according to the Russian Space Web. The first launch will take place on Feb. 15, and will transport cargo to the International Space Station. Russia will then launch a three-person crew to the ISS on March 21, 2024. The country will also launch multiple satellites throughout the year.
China
China has not released its official space plans for 2024 so far but has set a personal record of 67 launches in 2023. The country confirmed its plans to launch an unmanned lunar mission in the first half of 2024, which will collect samples from the far side of the moon and bring the samples back to Earth. The country also plans to become the second nation to ever put people on the moon by 2030, with the U.S. being the first country to do so. China additionally hopes to eventually build a space research lab on the moon.
Other major missions in 2024 include its Shenzhou 18 and 19 crewed flights, and Tianzhou 7 and 8 cargo missions to the Tiangong space station, according to Space.com.
India
India landed its first spacecraft on the moon just last year, narrowly beating Japan to become the fourth country to ever do so. The Asian country now has 12 other missions planned for 2024 to build off the momentum from 2023. The country even plans to send its first crewed spacecraft to space in early 2025.
Among its plans for this year, the country looks to conduct a test flight with a humanoid robot, a Mars orbiter mission that will study the surface, atmosphere, and climate of the red planet, and possibly a Venus orbiter mission to study what lies below the planet’s hot surface.
India has already launched a satellite this year, which went up on New Year’s Day, to investigate cosmic X-rays. It is also expected to launch a total of six Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle missions in 2024.
Japan
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Japan’s biggest plan for 2024 is the launch of its Martian Moon exploration mission, where the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency will send a spacecraft to orbit around two of Mars’s moons, Phobos and Deimos. The mission’s objective is to determine the origin of Mars’ moons.
The launch date has not been formally announced but is expected to take place in September, according to CBS News. Japan already landed its first spacecraft on the Earth’s moon this year, becoming the fifth country to do so on Jan. 19.