From the first satellite to the return to the Moon: the history and future of space exploration.
Less than seventy years have passed since the first artificial satellite was launched. Since then people have walked on the Moon, robotic spacecraft have visited every planet in the Solar System, and telescopes in space have looked back almost to the beginning of time.
The image above shows the launch of Artemis I in November 2022, the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket, which sent the uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon.
In this section
- History of Spaceflight: the space race and the Moon landings.
- Space Telescopes: Hubble, Webb and other observatories above the atmosphere.
- International Space Station: a home in orbit.
- Future Missions: what comes next.