In October 2023, we saw a spacecraft launch on a mission beyond low earth orbit, and two spacecraft celebrated anniversaries of more than a decade. Read on to learn more.
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Another sunset for Chandrayaan-3
On October 6, the Pragyan rover and the Chandrayaan-3 lander saw another sunset on the Moon. Since contact with it could not be re-established, it’s fairly certain, that it did not survive its first lunar night.
As mentioned last month, neither the lander nor the rover were designed to survive the lunar night. Still, the mission was a great success for India.
More information about the Chandrayaan-3 mission can be found on ISRO’s website.
New class of planets discovered in images by JWST?
Also in October, a scientific paper was published describing JuMBOs found in images of the Orion Nebula taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.
JuMBOs stands for Jupiter Mass Binary Objects and describes free-floating planet-sized objects that come in pairs and orbit each other. At least simply put.
Let Dr. Becky explain what they are and what’s so special about this discovery.
Don’t forget to check out her YouTube channel. If you’re interested in more details, read the original paper.
Psyche spacecraft launched towards Psyche
On October 13, a Falcon Heavy launched the Psyche spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center. It is currently en route to an asteroid also named Psyche.
So, it’s another mission to an asteroid in our solar system. Well, yes and no. The asteroids that have been visited by spacecrafts are made of rock. Psyche, on the other hand, is made mostly out of metal. This is why it was chosen for the mission.
It is thought to be the exposed core of an early planet. This makes it even more interesting as a target because scientists hope to learn more about how planets formed in our solar system by studying Psyche.
It is expected to arrive at Psyche in October 2029.
Want to learn more about the mission? Check out NASA’s mission website or Arizona State University’s website. Or maybe watch a replay of the launch.
Juno 54th Science flyby
On October 15, the NASA’s Jupiter Orbiter (Juno) spacecraft made its 54th Science Flyby of Jupiter. If you’re reading my posts regularly, you might have noticed that these Flybys happen about once a month.
Keen to find out more, read my post about other active spacecraft at Jupiter or the moons of Jupiter. If you would like to learn more about the Juno spacecraft, take a look at NASA’s mission website.
Lucy Enters Third Year in Space
On October 16, Lucy entered its third year in space. And although it’s still a way to its main target, it is approaching its first encounter with an asteroid. More about that in next month’s review.
Trace Gas Orbiter Enters 8th Year in Mars Orbit
On October 19, the Trace Gas Orbiter entered its 8th year in orbit around Mars, where it continues to collect data about the Martian atmosphere.
Visit ESA’s ExoMars program website to learn more about the spacecraft and its mission.
BepiColombo Enters 6th Year in Space
On October 20, ESA’s BepiColombo entered its 6th year in space. It is a mission to the planet Mercury. It is currently on its way to enter into a polar orbit around the planet in 2025.
In fact, the mission is a collaboration between ESA and JAXA. It consists of three spacecraft, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), and the Mercury Transport Module (MTM). They are flying together, with the MTM responsible for bringing the other spacecraft into orbit.
Learn more about the mission and its goals on ESA’s website.
Mars Odyssey Enters 23rd Year of Orbiting Mars
And now for a truly long-lived spacecraft. On October 24, Mars Odyssey entered its 23rd year in orbit around Mars. It holds the record for the longest-surviving continuously active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth. And it’s still adding to that record.
Take a look at the mission’s website to see what it has accomplished in all these years.
STEREO Enters 18th Year in Space
Finally, at least for this month, the two STEREO spacecraft entered their 18th year in space on October 26.
The two STEREO spacecraft are located at the Sun-Earth Lagrange points L4 & L5. They are the first spacecraft to provide stereoscopic measurements of the Sun and coronal mass ejections (CME).
Read more about the mission on their website, or check out my post about other spacecraft at Lagrange points around Earth.