Moon, Mars and asteroid missions top 2022 space goals
by Miriam Kramer, Alison Snyder
![Illustration of an astronaut helmet forming the zero in 2022.](https://images.axios.com/JCpEO-3brGnIsT5jSFnv_cQyGPc=/0x0:1920x1080/1920x1080/2021/12/21/1640124718269.jpg)
Space science next year will be rocketed forward with missions to the Moon, asteroids, Mars and the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope coming online.
Why it matters: The data sent back to Earth from these upcoming missions will help scientists learn more than ever before about objects in the solar system and far beyond it.
What’s happening: Space agencies like NASA, the European Space Agency and Japan’s space agency, JAXA, are all aiming to send probes to various targets around the solar system this year. They include:
Mars: The European Space Agency and Russia are planning to launch their joint ExoMars lander and rover to the surface of the Red Planet in September.