The year 2024 was a remarkable chapter in the saga of space exploration, showcasing significant achievements from various space agencies. NASA's Europa Clipper embarked on its mission to investigate Jupiter's moon Europa, while SpaceX celebrated a pivotal success with the first successful landing of its Starship. China's Chang’e 6 mission made headlines by returning samples from the Moon's far side, and the International Space Station continued to host diverse international crews, including private missions like Axiom Mission 3.
As we step into 2025, the excitement in the aerospace community is palpable. Numerous ambitious missions are on the horizon, promising to push the boundaries of human knowledge and exploration. Here’s a glimpse into the most anticipated space missions set to unfold this year, spanning from lunar explorations to asteroid investigations.
NASA's CLPS Initiative: Lunar Exploration
NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative is set to deliver a range of scientific payloads to the Moon using commercial landers. Following the successful landing of Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander in February 2024, several CLPS missions are scheduled for 2025. Companies like Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, and Firefly Aerospace will transport various scientific instruments to different lunar sites, focusing on lunar geology, technology demonstrations for future human missions, and environmental data collection.
SPHEREx: Mapping the Universe
In February 2025, NASA will launch the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx). This observatory will survey the sky in near-infrared light, allowing scientists to observe celestial objects that are otherwise invisible. SPHEREx aims to create a detailed map of over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way, providing insights into galaxy formation and the distribution of water and organic molecules in stellar nurseries.
ESA's Space Rider: Low Earth Orbit Research
The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for an orbital test flight of its Space Rider uncrewed spaceplane in the third quarter of 2025. This reusable spacecraft will conduct various scientific experiments in low Earth orbit, focusing on microgravity research. Experiments will explore plant growth, material behavior, and biological processes in a weightless environment, while also testing advanced telecommunication systems and robotic tools for future lunar and Martian missions.
Japan's M2/Resilience: Lunar Soil Analysis
Japan's M2/Resilience mission is set to launch in January 2025, deploying a lander and micro-rover to the Moon. This mission will analyze lunar soil to understand its composition and properties, while also conducting a water-splitting test to produce oxygen and hydrogen from lunar water. The technologies demonstrated in this mission will be crucial for future lunar exploration and could pave the way for missions to Mars.
China's Tianwen-2: Asteroid and Comet Exploration
China's Tianwen-2 mission, scheduled for launch in May 2025, aims to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and investigate a comet. The mission will first target the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, believed to be a fragment of the Moon. By studying this asteroid, scientists hope to gain insights into the early solar system. After sample collection, Tianwen-2 will head to the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, further enhancing our understanding of the solar system's formation.
Deep-Space Flybys: A Year of Exploration
In addition to the planned missions, several space agencies will conduct exciting deep-space flybys in 2025. These gravity assist maneuvers allow spacecraft to gain speed by passing close to planets or moons. BepiColombo, a joint mission by ESA and JAXA, will perform its sixth flyby of Mercury in January 2025, while NASA's Europa Clipper will execute a flyby of Mars in March 2025, aiding its journey to Jupiter's moon Europa.
ESA's Hera mission will also fly by Mars in March 2025, contributing to the study of the Didymos binary asteroid system. Meanwhile, NASA's Lucy mission will continue its exploration of the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, with a flyby of the inner main-belt asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson scheduled for April 20, 2025. Additionally, ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will perform a Venus flyby in August 2025, setting the stage for its investigation of Jupiter's icy moons.
As we look ahead, 2025 is poised to be a transformative year for space exploration. With groundbreaking missions from NASA and significant contributions from international partners, we are on the brink of remarkable discoveries that will deepen our understanding of the universe and inspire future generations to reach for the stars.