9 Things Happening in Space in 2022

From NASA’s unmanned Moon mission, James Webb Space Telescope, and numerous launches for upcoming projects, 2022 is looking like a great year for all things space exploration. Today, let's look at 9 of the biggest projects, launches, and innovations to look forward to this year.

Resupply mission launch to the ISS. Credit: NASA/Terry Zaperach

1. James Webb Space Telescope First Images

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) successfully launched into space on December 25th, 2021. It will take about 6 months from launch before we can expect to see any images, as it is currently traveling to the location it will observe from, and will have to spend several months there being set up and adjusted. NASA plans to release “Early Release Observations” to show off some of the capabilities of JWST shortly before it begins its routine science observations. They will most likely release these preliminary photos sometime over the summer, and we may get to see other more detailed images around late summer/early fall.

Artist rendering of JWST in space. Credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez

To find out more about James Webb Space Telescope and what it will be observing, read my article about it here.