2022 Space Travel: Looking Back at the Plans
Our January 2022 article looked ahead to a busy year of exploration. It discussed new rocket tests, lunar ambitions and missions to other worlds. However, some of the dates and outcomes changed as the year progressed.
NASA’s outlook for 2022 provides context for the plans discussed at the time. Therefore, this article now distinguishes early expectations from later events.
Artemis and the Moon
2022 space travel included preparations for Artemis I. The mission would test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft without a crew. The original report discussed an early-year target, but the flight ultimately launched on 16 November.
NASA’s Artemis I overview records that launch. The mission marked a major step in testing systems for journeys to the Moon. Nevertheless, it was an uncrewed test rather than a human landing on the lunar surface.
2022 Space Travel and the ExoMars Change
The original article also anticipated a September ExoMars launch. However, ESA suspended cooperation with Roscosmos on the rover mission in March 2022. Its announcement of the suspension explained why a 2022 launch could not proceed.
As a result, the forecast arrival date in the original story no longer applied. This change illustrates why future mission dates need clear context, especially when readers return to an older article.
Asteroid Science and Planetary Defence
Another part of the 2022 space travel outlook concerned NASA’s DART mission. The spacecraft tested a method of changing an asteroid moonlet’s motion. NASA’s review of the year describes the mission’s success.
Meanwhile, Psyche did not use its planned 2022 launch opportunity. NASA began an independent review of the issues behind that change. Thus, the year’s asteroid missions had different outcomes.
2022 Space Travel and Human Spaceflight
Boeing’s Starliner completed its uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 to the International Space Station. That was a test mission rather than the start of a routine passenger timetable. In addition, commercial and private flights remained an important part of the wider discussion.
For more historical stories and later developments, browse RocketBreaks news. Alternatively, read our 2021 space review to see the milestones that shaped these early expectations.