The World Space Award (also known as IAF World Space Award) is presented by International Astronautical Federation to an eminent individual or team at the IAC Congress, after an nomination process, that has made an exceptional impact to the progress of the world space activities by their outstanding contributions in the fields of space science, technology, medicine, law, or management over the period of time. it is often described as the "world's highest aerospace award", first awarded in 2013. [1] [2]
Year | Recipients | Agency (Nation) | Note |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Edward C. Stone | NASA (USA) | |
2016 | Yuri Koptev | Roscosmos (Russia) | [3] [4] |
2017 | Charles Bolden | NASA (USA) | |
2019 | Apollo 11 Crew | NASA (USA) | [5] |
2020 | Chang'e 4 Mission Leaders | CNSA (China) | [6] [7] |
2021 | Hayabusa2 Team | JAXA (Japan) | |
2022 | Tianwen-1 Spacecraft Development Team | CNSA (China) | [8] |
2023 | James Webb Space Telescope Team | NASA (USA) ESA (EU) CSA (Canada) | [9] [10] |
Elon Musk | SpaceX (USA) | [11] [12] | |
2024 | Chandrayaan-3 Team | ISRO (India) | [13] [14] [15] |
A lander is a spacecraft that descends towards, then comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body other than Earth. In contrast to an impact probe, which makes a hard landing that damages or destroys the probe upon reaching the surface, a lander makes a soft landing after which the probe remains functional.
The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) is an international space advocacy organization based in Paris, and founded in 1951 as a non-governmental organization to establish a dialogue between scientists around the world and to lay the information for international space cooperation. It has over 390 members from 68 countries across the world. They are drawn from space agencies, companies, universities, professional associations, museums, government organizations and learned societies. The IAF organizes the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC). As of 2019, Pascale Ehrenfreund has served as the president of the IAF.
The space program of the People's Republic of China is about the activities in outer space conducted and directed by the People's Republic of China. The roots of the Chinese space program trace back to the 1950s, when, with the help of the newly allied Soviet Union, China began development of its first ballistic missile and rocket programs in response to the perceived American threats. Driven by the successes of Soviet Sputnik 1 and American Explorer 1 satellite launches in 1957 and 1958 respectively, China would launch its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1 in April 1970 aboard a Long March 1 rocket, making it the fifth nation to place a satellite in orbit.
The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the space race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and continuing to the present.
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This article is a summary of the 2020s in science and technology.
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Starship HLS is a lunar lander variant of the Starship spacecraft that is slated to transfer astronauts from a lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back. It is being designed and built by SpaceX under the Human Landing System contract to NASA as a critical element of NASA's Artemis program to land a crew on the Moon.