2010 promises to be a particularly exciting year involving both government and commercial space projects across the world. The events listed below use expected timetables at the time of writing and could be subject the change.

Manned Space

NASA's future plans remains uncertain as we enter 2010. This is the final year of the Space Shuttle during which 5 launches are planned:

• Mission STS-130 - Space Shuttle Endeavor will deliver a 3rd connecting module, the Tranquility node, and a 7 windowed copula (to be used as a control room for robotics) to the International Space Station. The scheduled launch date is 7th February, 2010 and the astronauts include British born Nicholas Patrick.
• Mission STS-131 - Space Shuttle Discovery is due for launch on 18th March, 2010 and will carry a new logistics module filled with science racks to the International Space Station.
• Mission STS-132 - Space Shuttle Atlantis will deliver maintenance, assembly hardware and spare parts as well as further components for Russia's new research module to the International Space Station. The scheduled launch date is 29th May, 2010
• Mission STS-134 - Space Shuttle Endeavor is due for launch on 19th July and will deliver an EXPRESS Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) and an Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station.
• Mission STS-133 - Space Shuttle Discovery will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4), a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MLPM) and critical spare components to the International Space Station. The scheduled launch date is 16th September, 2010.

Once the Space Shuttle is retired all funds will be directed to the Constellation programme, the next generation initiative which will enable NASA to put people in low earth orbit, on the moon and beyond. Although NASA will continue with the Constellation programme until directed otherwise, it is widely expected that President Obama will act on recommendations in the Augustine report, which have concluded that Constellation is not feasible with current finances. In 2010 the escape rockets of Constellations's Orion capsule will be tested in New Mexico.

China are planning to launch the Tiangong-1 (or Heavenly Palace-1) module into low earth orbit in late 2010. This will be the first step in the process to create a new space station by launching several more modules. The goal is to provide a "safe house" for Chinese astronauts to perform experiments in zero gravity conditions.

Planetary Exploration

The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) plan to get their Planet-C mission (also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter) off the ground this year, which will study the atmospheric dynamics and volcanic activity on the planet. If launched as planned in May it should reach orbit around Venus in December.

China will launch the Chang'e-2 spacecraft in late October, which will be the countries second mission to the moon. It follows on from the successful Chang'e-1 mission and is a precursor to Chang'e-3 in 2013, which will consist of a lunar lander and rover. The plan is for the Chang'e-3 rover to work on the surface of the moon for 3 months.

Earth Observation

The following ESA launches are due this year:

• Cryosat-2 is due for launch on 25th February. This is the 3rd mission in ESA's series of Earth Explorer missions, after the successful launches of GOCE and SMOS in 2009. Cryosat-2 will carry an Altimeter called SILAS which will measure the changes in thickness of polar ice sheets over the 3 year lifetime of the mission. Scientists hope to answer the fundamental question of whether changes in the Earth's climate are affecting the polar ice caps.
• SWARM is due for launch on 1st October and is the 4th in ESA's series of Earth Explorer missions. SWARM will actually consist of 3 satellites and together they will enable scientists to accurately measure the Earth's magnetic field, allowing crucial information to be derived about the Earth's climate and interior. 

Tandem-X is a joint venture between Astrium and the German Aerospace agency, DLR. It will join TerraSAR-X in orbit in the first half of 2010 and together they will image the entire land mass of the Earth to unprecedented precision in just 3 years. 

NASA are planning a trio of Earth Observation satellites this year:

• The Solar Dynamics Observatory is planned for launch in February and will study the sun's magnetic field in order that correlations can be developered with sunspots and solar flares. It is hoped that this will help scientists anctipate better when these events will occur as they can have serious consequences for electrical communications on Earth and for astronauts in space.
• Aquarius will provide global measurements of saline levels in seawater and how that relates to the Earth's water cycle. The new data could be critical in learning how ocean circulation and weather patterns such as El Niãno respond to global warming.
• Glory will observe the effects of aerosolized particles on the Earth's climate. One of the big questions in global-warming research is the effect that such particles (from things like smog, auto exhaust, factory chimneys, volcanic eruptions, etc.) has on the temperature of our planet.

Two new satellites are being built by SSTL in the UK and will be launched in the first quarter of 2010 on a Ukranian/Russian Dnepr rocket as part of a cluster launch from the Yasny Launch base.

• NigeriaSat-2 is being built for the Nigerian goverment (NASRDA) as a follow-on to the NigeriaSat-1 satellite that was launched in 2003. Its prime objective is to provide high temporal, high resolution imagery for mapping, food security, disaster monitoring and other purposes
• NigeriaSat-X will provide NASRDA engineers with training in, and experience of, a flight-standard build leading to an operational imaging spacecraft to help monitor rapidly changing phenomena associated with natural and man-made disasters, agrictulture and environmental issues.

Launchers

Europe's Vega launcher is due for its first launch towards the end of the year. Vega is aimed at the small satellite market, complementing the heavy lift capability of Ariane 5. It is designed to launch science payloads between 300 to 2000kg into low earth orbit. 

The first launch of the Russia's Soyuz-ST carrier rocket from the Korou Space Centre in French Guiana has been scheduled for the beginning of April. Soyuz-ST is a modernized version of the Soyuz-2 rocket developed specifically for launches from Kourou.

Two of the four Galileo In Orbit Validation satellites are scheduled to be launched this November by a Russian Soyuz rocket from French Guiana. The final two should be in orbit early next year.

At the time of writing the Chinese successfully launched the third COMPASS satellite and took another step towards providing satellite navigation services to the world by around 2020. The current plan for COMPASS involves 5 satellites in geostationary orbit and 30 In non geostationary orbit.

Having provided a significant part of the financing, ESA is also involved in the Hylas commercial telecom satellite, due for launch on the first Soyuz mission from Korou Space Centre in French Guiana in early 2010. Hylas is the first satellite of UK s tart-up Avanti Communications.

The Intelsat 16 satellite will be launched on February 12, 2010 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will provide additional capacity for Brazil and Mexico in terms of satellite televsion services.

Geoff Busswell 

space@aerosociety.com
17 January 2010