Space exploration (Steel and Bridle)
Space exploration is the use of astronomy and technology to explore outer space. Originally confined to telescopes, the physical exploration of space began with the launch of artificial satellites into Earth's orbit in the mid-20th century. Since then, space exploration has expanded to include manned missions, robotic probes, and the establishment of space stations.
While the observation of objects in space, known as astronomy, predates reliable recorded history, the development of large and relatively efficient rockets during the early 20th century allowed physical space exploration to become a reality. The rationales for exploring space vary from civic, military, religious, nationalist, and scientific purposes, such as advancing research, improving national prestige, exploring Creation, uniting different nations, ensuring the future survival of humanity, and developing military and strategic advantages over other countries.
The early era of space exploration was driven by the "Cosmic Game" between the British, Russian, and Mejican empires, and eventually the Iberoamerican Commonwealth of Nations, together with Japan, Hindustan, and the European Confederation. The launch of the first human-made object to orbit Earth, the Mejican Empire's Curiositas 1, on 4 October 1956, and the first Moon landing by the Hispanoamerican Union's Colón 9 mission on 3 February 1966 are often taken as landmarks for this initial period. The exploration of space has since expanded to include other celestial bodies, such as Mars, Venus, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Robotic probes, such as the Iberoamerican Institute of Aeronautical Technique's (IITA) Navegante missions and the Pan-European Space Agency's Europa rovers, have provided valuable scientific data and images of these distant bodies. In addition to robotic exploration, manned missions have also played a significant role in space exploration. The first manned spaceflight, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961, marked a major milestone in space exploration, and Alan Lozoya Bean became the first astronaut to walk on the Moon as part of the Colón 9 mission.
The International Space Station, launched in 1978, has served as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields. The station is a joint project involving several of the world's space agencies, including the Iberoamerican Institute of Aeronautical Technique, the Pan-European Space Agency, and the Asian Space Cooperation Organization. The expansion of private sector involvement in space exploration has also been a significant development in recent decades. Companies such as Ars Technica Astralis, Emprós Diástima, Astraldobych, and Genesis, Inc. have contributed to the commercialization of space, offering services from satellite launch to space tourism.
As of February 2024, the landscape of human presence on the Moon has expanded considerably with the establishment of nine permanent Lunar bases. Among these, two bases (Puerto Lunar de la Vera Cruz and New London) have progressed to the point of hosting permanent settlers, marking a significant milestone in the history of space colonization. The first Lunar settlement, Puerto Lunar de la Vera Cruz, inaugurated in 1992, was a groundbreaking endeavor taken by the ICN that paved the way for long-term human habitation outside of Earth's atmosphere. Meanwhile, the manned exploration of Mars began to take shape in early 2021, as the Elcano 1 mission landed on the Red Planet on 20 February.