2021 was a decisive year for space tourism, with relevant successful launches and increasing human presence in space for recreational purposes (e.g., SpaceX’s Inspiration4, Blue Origin’s New Shepard, Virgin Galactic Unity). As space launches’ costs decline, we expect the years ahead to intensify this trend.
In addition, as space research and exploration become more accessible and socially accepted, the goal to explore space will endure in 2022 with strategic plans by public and private entities to explore and colonize the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies, such as the Artemis Accords and SpaceX Mars ambitions.
The launch of the James Webb telescope in December 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana is also an important milestone for space science.
Space mining is also set to continue to advance, with legislative initiatives having been approved in 2021 to regulate the extraction of space resources, notably in Japan, which joined countries such as the USA, Luxembourg and UAE in this field.
- Check here for the Main Milestones of 2021