Space technology istechnology for use inouter space. Space technology includesspace vehicles such asspacecraft,satellites,space stations andorbitallaunch vehicles;deep-space communication;in-space propulsion; and a wide variety ofother technologies including support infrastructure equipment, and procedures.
Many common everyday services forterrestrial use such asweather forecasting,remote sensing,satellite navigation systems,satellite television, and some long-distance communications systems critically rely onspace infrastructure. Of the sciences,astronomy andEarth science benefit from space technology.[1] New technologies originating with or accelerated by space-related endeavors are often subsequently exploited in other economic activities.
The first country on Earth to put any technology into space was theSoviet Union. The Soviet Union sent theSputnik 1 satellite on October 4, 1957. It weighed about 83 kg (183 lb), and is believed to have orbited around the globe. Analysis of the radio signals was used to gather information about the electron density of theionosphere, while temperature and pressure data was encoded in the duration of radio beeps.
The first successful human spaceflight wasVostok 1, carrying 27-year-old Soviet cosmonautYuri Gagarin in April 1961. The entire mission was controlled by either automatic systems or byground control. This was because medical staff and spacecraft engineers were unsure how a human might react to weightlessness, and therefore it was decided to lock the pilot's manual controls.[2][3]
The first probe to impact the surface of the Moon was the Soviet probeLuna 2, which made a hard landing on September 14, 1959. The far side of the Moon was first photographed on October 7, 1959, by the Soviet probeLuna 3.sOn December 24, 1968, the crew ofApollo 8,Frank Borman,James Lovell andWilliam Anders, became the first human beings to enter lunar orbit and see the far side of the Moon in person. Humans first landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The first human to walk on the lunar surface wasNeil Armstrong, commander ofApollo 11. The first space probe to land on moon South Pole of India.Chandrayaan-3 was launched aboard an LVM3-M4 rocket on 14 July 2023, at 09:05 UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, entering an Earth parking orbit with a perigee of 170 km (106 mi) and an apogee of 36,500 km (22,680 mi).
Apollo 11 was followed byApollo 12,14,15,16, and17.Apollo 13 had a failure of theApollo service module, but passed thefar side of the Moon at an altitude of 254 kilometers (158 miles; 137 nautical miles) above the lunar surface, and 400,171 km (248,655 mi) from Earth, marking therecord for the farthest humans traveled from Earth in 1970.
The first roboticlunar rover to land on the Moon was the Soviet vesselLunokhod 1 on November 17, 1970, as part of theLunokhod program. To date, the last human to stand on the Moon wasEugene Cernan, who, as part of theApollo 17 mission, walked on the Moon in December 1972. Apollo 17 was followed by several uncrewed interplanetary missions operated by NASA. Also Technological innovations in space exploration have important effects on the economy, society, and the environment.
Economically, new safety features and technology have made space missions cheaper. Using reusable rockets helps companies save money because they do not need to fix or replace rockets as often. This makes space exploration more affordable and encourages more people to invest in the space industry.
Socially, these new technologies have created many jobs in areas like engineering, research, and aerospace manufacturing. The growth of the space industry also helps other industries, such as telecommunications and materials engineering, by creating new job opportunities.
Environmentally, using reusable rockets helps reduce space debris. By reusing rockets, space agencies can produce less waste and lessen the impact of space missions on the environment. This approach supports cleaner space exploration and a more sustainable future.
In summary, technological advances in space exploration positively affect the economy, create jobs, and promote environmental sustainability, helping the field continue to grow.
One of the notable interplanetary missions isVoyager 1, the first artificial object toleave the Solar System intointerstellar space on August 25, 2012. It is also the most distant artificial object from Earth.[4] The probe passed theheliopause at 121AU to enterinterstellar space.[5]Voyager 1 is currently at a distance of 145.11 astronomical units (2.1708×1010 km; 1.3489×1010 mi) (21.708 billion kilometers; 13.489 billion miles) from Earth as of January 1, 2019.[6]
All launch vehicles contain a huge amount of energy that is needed for some part of it to reach orbit. There is therefore some risk that this energy can be released prematurely and suddenly, with significant effects. When aDelta II rocket exploded 13 seconds after launch on January 17, 1997, there were reports of store windows 10 miles (16 km) away being broken by the blast.[7]
Space is a fairly predictable environment, but there are still risks of accidental depressurization and the potential failure of equipment, some of which may be very newly developed.
In April 2004 theInternational Association for the Advancement of Space Safety was established in theNetherlands to further international cooperation and scientific advancement in space systems safety.[8]
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