In 2024, space agencies made significant strides in space exploration, with private companies also pushing the boundaries of cosmic discovery. As we look ahead to 2025, it promises to be an exciting year for space travel and research.
Several missions are set to take place this year, including uncrewed lunar landers and the launch of the world’s first commercial space station. SpaceX is planning to increase its Starship test launches, with billionaire Elon Musk proposing to quintuple the number of flight tests from five in 2024 to 25 next year.
NASA has selected Firefly Aerospace to send a lander to the moon as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The Blue Moon lander will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and land at the lunar south pole, where it will conduct scientific experiments.
Meanwhile, Boeing’s Starliner astronauts are set to return to Earth in late March after being delayed several times due to technical issues with the Dragon vehicle that was initially supposed to bring them back. The spacecraft is part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission and will ferry the astronauts to the International Space Station.
The world’s first commercial space station, Haven-1, is planned to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August 2025. This private venture aims to establish a human spaceflight program and create a hub for scientific research and development. Vast, the company behind the project, plans to launch two more space stations, Haven-2 and Haven-3, in subsequent years.
In addition, Intuitive Machines is set to launch another lunar lander, IM-2, which will conduct scientific experiments at the southernmost location on the moon’s surface. The lander will share a ride with NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter, which aims to map the distribution of water on the moon’s surface.
Overall, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for space exploration, with numerous missions and initiatives set to take place in the coming months.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/29/nasa-spacex-space-launches-missions-2025/77170181007