"2023: The Year Space Exploration Surpassed Science Fiction"
In 2023, significant space exploration milestones included the detection of gravitational waves by NANOGrav, groundbreaking observations by the James Webb Space Telescope, the return of asteroid samples by OSIRIS-REx, the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station, and a record-breaking number of U.S. rocket launches, primarily by SpaceX. These achievements are contributing to a deeper understanding of the universe, from the study of supermassive black holes and dark matter to the potential origins of life and advancements in space technology.