Photo courtesy of NASA, edited by Sophia K. ‘26.
Space Exploration in 2024
By: Cynthia T. ‘27
With 2024 coming to an end, there have been many new developments in humanity’s mission of space exploration. Here is a brief overview of two major events that happened this year:
Imagine preparing to spend the weekend in space, but that short weekend suddenly turns into eight months. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams went into orbit in June of 2024, and are expected to return in February of 2025. They were the first to ride Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule for what was planned to be a week-long test mission. This quickly changed when technical issues arose and the spacecraft became unsafe to use for their return. Due to this, NASA has scheduled a replacement ride in February 2025 using a SpaceX spacecraft and decided to bring the Starliner capsule back to Earth empty.
The Starliner crew capsule suffered from thruster failures and helium leaks. 5 out of the 28 Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters failed at various times while the spacecraft prepared to dock at the ISS. RCS thrusters are small rocket engines used to control spacecraft orientation (altitude) and make minor adjustments to position. These thrusters are essential for the positioning of the spacecraft during key phases like docking and re-entry.
There were also helium leaks in the pressurization system. The pressurization system in a spacecraft is used to ensure that the propellant (fuel and oxidizer) is delivered to the engines or thrusters. Without proper pressurization, the flow of these propellants could become inconsistent, leading to unreliable engine performance, or even failure. Thrusters also require specific amounts of propellant to complete delicate maneuvers, such as docking or orientating the spacecraft.
GOES-19, NOAA’s newest geostationary satellite, launched on June 25, 2024 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The satellite was built by the Lockheed Martin Corporation, an American defense and aerospace manufacturer. GOES-19 orbits 22,236 miles above the equator at the same speed the Earth rotates. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are a series of weather satellites that provide data and images of the Earth’s Western Hemisphere. They monitor factors such as atmospheric conditions, solar activity, and environmental phenomena. Currently, there are four operating GOES satellites in space, GOES-16 (2016), GOES-17 (2018), GOES-18 (2022), and GOES-19 (2024). GOES-19 will focus on meteorology, monitoring weather and space weather conditions for North American, Central American and South American regions.
There have been many space launches and events that occurred this year, and 2025 is filled with even more missions.