The most powerful rocket ever built exploded in the skies over Texas in April. Just five days later, Japan's first-ever lunar landing attempt failed as its small spacecraft apparently crashed into the moon. Yet days before, the European Space Agency (ESA) succeeded in launching an unmanned exploration mission to Jupiter's moons. In another era, it may have looked like the final lap of a global space race. But in the third decade of the 21st century, it was space business as usual.