2021 Was a Big Year for Space

Friday, December 24, 2021 at 08:34 AM ET

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Inspiration4, the world’s first orbital spaceflight fully crewed by civilians, successfully lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on September 15. [Courtesy: Inspiration4]

Key Takeaways:

2021 marked a significant expansion in civilian and commercial spaceflight, highlighted by the first all-civilian orbital mission and a "billionaire space race" featuring prominent figures.
The year also saw a rapid increase in orbital satellites, intensifying concerns about a growing space junk crisis that threatens existing and future missions.
NASA initiated its inaugural planetary defense mission, DART, to test technology for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids.
A major debris-creating event by Russia, involving the destruction of one of its satellites, drew global condemnation due to the hazard posed to the International Space Station and other orbital operations.

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From rocket tests to planetary defense, 2021 has been an eventful year for the space industry. Join the FLYING staff as we look back at our top five space stories of the year.

Successful Liftoff for First All-Civilian Space Mission

This year saw the world’s first of many all-civilian space flights, led by SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission. The three-day mission took its passengers all the way into orbit, surpassing the heights of similar launches by Blue Origin.