Space has always been of interest to people and in the twenty first century space exploration has become even more interesting and promising. As a result of technological improvement, international collaboration, and the involvement of private organisations, space exploration is shifting to the next level. However, there are some problems that may appear on the way to further development and improvement of space exploration and missions. In this article, I will outline the key events and the problems of space exploration in the 21st century.

Space Exploration, the Important Milestones

1. Commercial Space Travel and Role of Private Sector

• The market has been receiving fresh entrants, which include SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic among others, which has altered the type of space travel. Their goal is not only to develop the reusable rocket which is one of their main focus but also to make space travel cheaper.
• SpaceX’s previous missions such as Falcon 9 rocket launches and the Crew Dragon missions to ISS have enabled a new way in commercial space travel.

2. International Collaboration

• Internationally, cooperation between countries is still important to this date with regards to space exploration. This is due to the fact that the space station is an example of integration where space agencies of the United States of America, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada have collaborated.
• The Artemis program of NASA is to return humans to the Moon by 2024 with other partners like ESA and CSA.

3. Mars Exploration

• Mars in particular remains a rather intriguing planet that can be explored in more detail. The Perseverance Rover which is a NASA rover that landed on Mars on the 18th of February 2021 is mostly concentrating on tasks such as seeking signs of life existence in the past and to provide a way for future manned missions.
• NASA has agreed with SpaceX for the latter to design a rocket for travelling people to Mars in the future whereas SpaceX is in the process of developing a spaceship for travelling to other planets known as Starship.

4. Advancements in Satellite Technology

• The advancement in satellite technology has facilitated the observation of the earth’s environment, communication, and navigation.
• Other constellations such as the SpaceX Starlink constellation aims at providing internet service to the entire world focusing on areas that have no access to the internet.

5. Deep Space Missions

• The expansion beyond the outer planets and the advancement of the solar system exploration is already happening. The successor of the already iconic Hubble Telescope is the James Webb Space Telescope that is set to be launched in 2024 and is expected to help us view and better understand galaxies, exoplanets and other phenomena in space.
• The two Voyager spacecrafts of NASA are still sending data from outside the solar system, and these data provide vital information about the conditions of the interstellar space.

Challenges in Space Exploration

1. Cost and Funding

• Unfortunately, space missions are expensive and this has remained a major problem. Although there has been improvement in technology and the involvement of the private sector in cutting down on some of the costs, space exploration is extremely expensive.
• Our experience shows that to maintain long-term projects and missions, funding should be secured from the government budgets and private investors’ portfolios.

2. Technological Hurdles

• In the case of deep space missions, creating propulsion systems and life support technologies for longer missions is still a major challenge in the field of engineering.
• Improvement in the health of astronauts on long duration spaceflight especially those beyond LEO can only be accomplished through medical advancement.

3. Space Debris and Environmental Issues

• The space debris is rapidly becoming a hazard to both manned and unmanned space programs. The issue with space debris and avoiding collisions with satellites and spacecraft is rapidly becoming an issue.
• Measures and guidelines should also be put in place to avoid polluting the other celestial bodies and damaging the environment during space exploration.

4. International Regulations and Governance

• It is crucial to set forth proper and most importantly fair rules that would govern space exploration and usage of resources. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 is the main instrument, but new problems demand new legal norms.
• The cooperation between nations should always be in a way that space is used for peaceful purposes and for the betterment of all the people living in this universe.

5. Ethical Considerations

• This paper will focus on the ethical implications of space exploration and the possible exploitation of space resources as well as the effects on other celestial bodies.
• The possibility of people living on other planets poses questions related to the proper use of these worlds and the consequences of the settlements for societies and cultures.

Conclusion

The 21st century is a significant period in the history of space exploration and has been characterised by great achievements and international cooperation. Curiosity, scientific discovery, exploration, and advancement of technology are some of the reasons that encourage the exploration of space. But for every effort there are challenges that need to be met to make sure that the objectives of such efforts are met. Thus, the world can achieve great heights while not forgetting its responsibilities and open the space for further exploration for future generations.