Space missions to watch in 2023

“Sky is the limit”is an Ameri⁃can idiom which is usually used to en⁃courage young peo⁃ple to chase their dreams and is close in mean⁃ing with“Anything is possible”.But for space scientists,sky is just where their work starts.

Are you a fan of space science?If your an⁃swer is positive,the following news might inter⁃est you.

According to NASA (United States Na⁃tional Aeronautic and Space Administration),its Artemis program will land American astro⁃nauts on the moon by the mid-2020s.

To make it come true,several landers from private companies are supposed to arrive on the moon this year.These landers will carry equipment and instruments for studying condi⁃tions on the lunar surface.

One lander,called Peregrine Lunar Land⁃er is built by NASA partner Astrobotic.It is due to launch sometime before April.And it is expected to land near Lacus Mortis,an area near the equator of the moon.

The ESA (European Space Agency) plans to launch a spacecraft to explore Jupiter,the largest planet in our solar system.ESA offi⁃cials have said they plan to launch the space⁃craft,called JUICE,sometime in April.Jupiter is a giant gas planet,with an atmosphere made up mostly of hydrogen and helium.

NASA plans to launch its Psyche space⁃craft in early October.It is expected to travel three-and-a-half years to an asteroid.The metal asteroid is orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter.