The giant planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune—are some of the most awe-inspiring in our solar system, and have great importance for space research and our comprehension of the greater universe.

Yet they remain the least explored—especially the "ice giants" Uranus and Neptune—due to their distance from Earth, and the extreme conditions spacecraft must survive to enter their atmospheres. As such, they're also the least understood planets in the solar system.

Our ongoingresearch looks at how to overcome the harsh entry conditions experienced during giant planet missions. As we look forward to potential future missions, here's what we might expect.

But first, what are giant planets?

Unlike rocky planets, giant planets don't have a surface to land on. Even in their lower atmospheres they remain gaseous, reaching extremely high pressures that would crush any spacecraft well before it could land on anything solid.

There are two types of giant planets: gas giants and ice giants.

The larger Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants. These are mainly made of hydrogen and helium, with an outer gaseous layer and a partially liquid "metallic" layer below that.

SpaceX took a couple weeks off, but is ready to send up another batch of Starlink satellites to add its expanding internet empire.

The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket with 46 Starlinks on board is scheduled for 9:44 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch will take a southerly trajectory with the first stage booster, making its 11th flight, attempting a landing the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.

Space Launch Delta 45′s weather squadron predicts a 90% chance for good weather with the only concerns being cumulus clouds.

The company's last launch ran into issues after its payload of 49 Starlink satellites were deployed, and 40 of them were dragged back down to burn up in Earth's atmosphere after fallout from geomagnetic storm.

That launch was Feb. 3, the sixth for SpaceX so far in 2022, and third Starlink launch of the year. Company founder Elon Musk said last week the company is aiming for 50 launches this year, which would surpass 2021′s record of 31 from Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center and Vandenburg Space Force Base in California.

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst visited Thales Alenia Space in Turin recently to test out and provide feedback on accommodations for the next human outpost in space, the lunar Gateway.

As the name implies, the Gateway will be located within the moon's orbit and is being built by Thales Alenia Space on behalf of ESA. Among its components is the International Habitation Module or I-Hab.

As crew quarters are designed with humans in mind, Alex both toured the mock-up and stepped into the crew quarter simulator to provide some experienced feedback. After two missions to the International Space Station—Blue Dot (2014) and Horizons (2018)—totalling 362 days in space, Alex is no stranger to living in special conditions.

Using virtual gear, Alex experienced an immersive environment representing the interior of I-Hab, as if he were present on the lunar Gateway in orbit around the moon. What did he think?

Overall, the feedback was positive. Alex provided some recommendations that will help Thales Alenia Space's design team improve the next iterations.

Alex and fellow ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano similarly assisted this process in 2021, but due to COVID-19 restrictions were only able to do so remotely.