Here are 9 space stories that made history in 2022

ORLANDO, Fla. — A commercial crew headed into the orbits of space, and a space telescope made history.

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Space exploration took many giant leaps for humanity in 2022.

Here are the top nine space stories Channel 9 covered this year.

Blue Origin flight

A Winter Park couple was among the six civilians on the 11-minute flight to space and back. Sharon Hagle and her husband Marc traveled 62 miles above Earth in March.

Read: Orlando-area couple launches into space on Blue Origin flight

Axiom launch

SpaceX launched Axiom Space’s Ax-1 mission in April, the first all-private mission to the International Space Station.

Watch the video below:

Video: Axiom-1 becomes first all-private crewed mission to dock with ISS The four Axiom-1 astronauts who launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Friday arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday. (WFTV)

Read: SpaceX launches Axiom Space’s 1st all-private mission to the Space Station

Gateway at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

A new experience launched at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in July.

The attraction offers educational opportunities and innovative technology to make guests feel what it’s like to travel in space.

See more photos in the gallery below:

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Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex lands at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex lands at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center (Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex/Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex)

Read: Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex lands at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

James Webb Space Telescope

The JWST launched in December 2021, but the telescope gave the space community a dazzling set of solar system images in August, ones that scientists have only scratched the surface of discovering.

See more photos in the gallery below:

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Carina Nebula This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.

Read: James Webb Space Telescope photos: NASA releases amazing images of Jupiter

Crew-5 mission

After the trip to space was pushed back by Hurricane Ian, NASA and SpaceX launched the Crew-5 mission with two NASA astronauts, a JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut.

Watch the launch in the video below:

Video: NASA, SpaceX launches Crew-5 mission to International Space Station NASA and SpaceX launched a crewed mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday.

WATCH: NASA, SpaceX launch Crew-5 mission to International Space Station

Falcon Heavy launch

The Falcon Heavy rocket has not blasted off from Florida’s space coast since 2019, but in November, it successfully launched several satellites for the U.S. Space Force.

See more in the video below:

Video: SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon Heavy rocket Tuesday morning. (James Tutten, WFTV.com/WFTV)

Read: SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Artemis I mission

After scrubbing the Artemis I launch twice, NASA successfully sent its moon mission into space on Nov. 16.

Read: ‘We are going’: Artemis I successfully blasts off from Cape Canaveral

The Orion capsule spent 25 days gathering data before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11.

See the photos in the gallery below:

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Artemis I launch CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - NOVEMBER 15: Ground fog covers the Kennedy Space Center Press Site as a photographer lines up his shot toward the Artemis 1 moon rocket and the Orion spacecraft poised on Launch Pad 39B November 15, 2022, as the countdown for the third launch attempt continues at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA's Artemis 1 mission is the first test of the agency's deep space exploration systems sending the unmanned Orion spacecraft to orbit the moon several times and return back to earth. (Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images) (Red Huber/Getty Images)

Read: Artemis I: 9 things to know about NASA’s mission to return humans to the moon

dearMoon mission announces crew

In December, Today Inc. CEO Yusaku Maezawa released the names of the first all-civilian crew on the first private moon mission on SpaceX’s Starship. These included people in photography, music and film.

Read: Crew announced for private moon mission aboard SpaceX’s Starship

61 SpaceX launches

In 2022, SpaceX launched 61 launches, the company announced on Dec. 30. SpaceX said this is nearly double the number of launches in 2021.

WATCH: SpaceX launches 60th rocket of the year with Falcon 9 launch from Florida

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