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In 1968, the epic science fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey” was released . Produced and directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick, “2001” foresaw a future in which commercial airlines would regularly ferry passengers to and from orbital space stations as well as the Moon, and humanity would have the means to travel to the outer planets of our solar system. Sadly, this predicted future did not become a reality 33 years later, and not even today, 53 years later.
But things may be about to change. By the end of the 2020s, many of the predictions of “2001: A Space Odyssey” could very well come to pass — and the current year of 2021 will play a critical role in achieving this vision. This year is already shaping up to be one of the most significant years yet in our exploration of space, and it is laying the groundwork for an extraordinary decade.
International year of Mars
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The exploration of Mars will play a leading role in these achievements. Three missions were launched toward Mars last summer, and all three are scheduled to arrive at Mars in February. Never before have so many robotic missions traveled to Mars simultaneously.
The United Arab Emirates’ first Mars mission, an orbital spacecraft called Hope , is scheduled to arrive at Mars on Feb. 9. China’s first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, which carries both an orbiter and a rover, is scheduled to arrive in Mars orbit on Feb. 10. But the Chinese rover will not attempt landing on the surface until sometime in May 2021. Finally, NASA’s most ambitious Mars mission yet, Mars 2020, with its rover named Perseverance, is scheduled to land on Feb. 18.