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A series of new space missions are planned for the coming year. Here is a look ahead at some of the ones to watch out for in 2024.
Artemis II
The American space agency NASA launched its first flight in the Artemis program in 2022. That mission, called Artemis I, sent the Orion spacecraft on a trip to fly around the moon.
Artemis aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Artemis I was a test of the Orion spacecraft, or capsule, as well as NASA’s huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that carried it into space. That mission sent Orion more than 400,000 kilometers away from Earth and completed a close fly-by of the moon. NASA officials declared Artemis I a huge success.
NASA plans to launch Artemis II in late 2024. It is expected to take the same path that Artemis I took around the moon, but this time it will be carrying four NASA astronauts aboard Orion.
NASA says Artemis II aims “to confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space.”
Moon lander launches
While Artemis II will not complete a landing, several other lunar landers are expected to touch down on the moon’s surface in 2024.
The first of these launches is planned for January 8. It involves a lander named Peregrine. The 1.9-meter-tall spacecraft is made by the private, American space company Astrobotic Technology. It will launch aboard a Vulcan Centaur rocket, made by United Launch Alliance (ULA).
Peregrine is expected to carry 20 research experiments to the moon for seven countries. It will aim to land in an area known as Sinus Viscositatis. NASA says the area sits next to the Gruithuisen Domes, the largest dark spot on the near side of the moon.
Another Astrobotic lander, called Griffin, is set to launch to the moon’s south pole in late 2024. It will be carrying an exploring robot, or rover, called VIPER. VIPER is designed to search for water sources on the moon.
In addition to those, American space company Intuitive Machines is providing two landers to NASA expected for launches next year.
Japan will also attempt to become the fifth nation to reach the surface of the moon in mid-January. The country’s space agency launched the spacecraft, called SLIM, in September. SLIM’s mission goal is to test the possibility that spacecraft can land on very specific targets.
ESA’s Hera mission
The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to launch its Hera spacecraft in October on a mission to return to an asteroid system visited by NASA's DART spacecraft in 2022. Hera is designed to collect data on the targeted system, called Didymos. The spacecraft is expected to closely examine the physical properties of Didymos and measure detailed effects of DART’s crash.
Europa Clipper
NASA hopes to launch its Europa Clipper mission in October. This orbiter is designed to carry out close examinations of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Specifically, the mission will look for signs that the icy moon might hold the right conditions to support life. NASA says the orbiter will fly in orbit around Jupiter and “perform repeated close flybys of the ice moon.”
Boeing’s Starliner test flight
NASA and Boeing have said they plan to launch the first crewed test flight of the company’s Starliner spacecraft. NASA says it is targeting March 2024 to have Starliner ready for flight. A launch date is to be set later.
The spacecraft completed its first uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station (ISS) last May. But Boeing has experienced several technical difficulties with Starliner during the mission and has worked with NASA to fix the problems as it prepares for the planned crewed flight.
SpaceX Starship test
SpaceX, another NASA partner, has been successfully using its rockets and spacecraft to transport astronauts and materials to the ISS since 2020. But the company will be seeking a successful test flight in 2024 for its super-heavy Starship spacecraft.
SpaceX experienced two failed Starship tests in 2023 – one in April and the other in November – which resulted in explosions. The April blast caused major damage to the launch structure in the state of Texas. SpaceX has said it has been examining the issues related to the explosions and plans to carry out another test of Starship as soon as possible. But it will have to wait until the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completes its investigation of the launch site damage and approves a new test.
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Words in This Story
mission – n. to do something considered very difficult or impossible
asteroid – n. an object made of rock and metal that orbits the sun, but is smaller than planets
参考译文：
一系列新的太空任务计划于即将到来的一年内展开。以下是2024年值得关注的一些任务。
Artemis II
美国宇航局NASA在2022年启动了Artemis计划的首次飞行。该任务被称为Artemis I，将奥里昂（Orion）太空船送往月球进行绕行飞行。
Artemis计划旨在自1972年NASA阿波罗17号任务以来，首次将宇航员送回月球。
Artemis I是对奥里昂太空船（或舱）以及NASA庞大的“太空发射系统”（SLS）火箭的测试，该火箭将其送入太空。该任务将奥里昂送往距离地球超过40万公里的地方，并完成了对月球的近距离飞越。NASA官员宣布Artemis I取得了巨大成功。
NASA计划在2024年底发射Artemis II。预计该任务将沿用Artemis I绕月球的路径，但这次将搭载四名NASA宇航员。
NASA表示，Artemis II旨在“确认在宇航员搭载的情况下太空深层环境中所有太空船系统的正常运行”。
月球着陆器发射
尽管Artemis II不会完成着陆，但预计2024年将有几个其他月球着陆器在月球表面着陆。
首个计划于1月8日发射的着陆器是“獭神”（Peregrine）。这艘1.9米高的飞船是由美国私人太空公司Astrobotic Technology制造的。它将搭乘由United Launch Alliance（ULA）制造的Vulcan Centaur火箭发射。
獭神预计将为七个国家携带20项月球研究实验。它的目标是着陆在一个被称为Sinus Viscositatis的区域，NASA表示该区域位于月球正面最大的暗斑Gruithuisen Domes旁边。
另一艘名为Griffin的Astrobotic着陆器计划于2024年底发射，将搭载一台名为VIPER的探索机器人或月球车，VIPER旨在寻找月球上的水源。
除此之外，美国太空公司Intuitive Machines将向NASA提供两个预计在明年发射的着陆器。
日本还计划于1月中旬尝试成为第五个登陆月球表面的国家。该国的航天局在9月发射了名为SLIM的航天器。 SLIM的任务目标是测试太空船是否可以着陆在非常特定的目标上。
ESA的Hera任务
欧洲空间局（ESA）计划于10月发射其Hera航天器，执行返回NASA的DART航天器于2022年访问过的小行星系统的任务。Hera的设计目的是收集有关目标系统Didymos的数据。该航天器预计将对Didymos的物理特性进行密切检查，并测量DART撞击的详细效果。
Europa Clipper
NASA希望于10月发射其Europa Clipper任务。这个轨道器旨在对木卫二进行近距离观测。具体而言，该任务将寻找这颗冰冷卫星可能具备支持生命的条件的迹象。NASA表示，这颗轨道器将绕木星轨道飞行，并“执行对这颗冰冷卫星的重复近距离飞越”。
**波音的Starliner测试飞行**
NASA和波音表示计划于公司的Starliner航天器进行首次载人测试飞行。NASA表示，计划在2024年3月使Starliner准备好进行飞行，具体的发射日期将在稍后确定。
该航天器于去年5月完成了首次无人驾驶的飞行测试，前往国际空间站（ISS）。但在任务期间，波音的Starliner经历了一些技术问题，并与NASA合作解决了这些问题，为计划中的载人飞行做准备。
SpaceX Starship测试
SpaceX，NASA的另一合作伙伴，自2020年以来一
直成功使用其火箭和航天器将宇航员和物资送往ISS。但该公司计划在2024年为其超重型Starship航天器进行一次成功的测试飞行。
SpaceX在2023年经历了两次失败的Starship测试——分别在4月和11月——导致爆炸。4月的爆炸造成了得克萨斯州发射场的重大损坏。SpaceX表示一直在调查与爆炸相关的问题，并计划尽快进行Starship的另一次测试。但必须等待美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）完成对发射场损坏的调查并批准新的测试。
