As 2025 approaches, the major players in space exploration, along with NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin, are in everything from lunar exploration to missions to Mars.
These are the most notable rocket launches, missions and systems that will take place next year.
As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program, private aerospace company Firefly Aerospace will launch Blue Ghost Mission 1 in mid-January 2025.
SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost using a Falcon 9 rocket to transport the lunar lander from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the moon’s surface.
The primary goal of the project is to deliver 10 scientific and generation payloads to the Mare Crisium lunar region, thereby advancing our understanding of the lunar geology and environment of the area.
Notable payloads:
These payloads constitute cutting-edge studies in lunar science and technology, contributing to the broader goals of NASA’s Artemis program.
“These investigations will help pave the way for humanity’s return to the Moon. The data captured will also benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces affect Earth, among other valuable research. ” “Firefly said. Aeroarea said on its website.
SpaceX Crew-10 is the 10th operational crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Scheduled for launch no earlier than February 2025, the mission will transport four astronauts to the ISS for a planned six-month stay.
While aboard the ISS, Crew-10 astronauts will participate in clinical studies and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and reaping the benefits of life on Earth.
In March 2025, the Soyuz MS-27 project will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying a trio of astronauts to the ISS. The team includes NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.
Astronaut @JonnyKimUSA is getting ready for his first mission to the @Space_Station!Kim is scheduled to lift off in a Soyuz spacecraft in March 2025 for an eight-month stay in low Earth orbit. Get the details: https://t.co/kjVxbc24LU pic.twitter.com/e7FwWWUFNw
This project highlights the long-standing partnership between NASA and Roscosmos, ensuring a continued human presence aboard the ISS. During their approximately eight-month stay, the team will participate in clinical trials and maintenance responsibilities essential to ongoing research in the area.
In the early months of 2025, NASA is set to launch the Lunar Trailblazer, a pioneering small satellite designed to map the distribution of water on the moon’s surface. Selected under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program in 2019, Lunar Trailblazer aims to unravel the mysteries surrounding lunar water—a discovery that has significant implications for future manned missions to the moon.
The spacecraft will hitch a ride aboard Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which is part of NASA’s CLPS initiative. Once in lunar orbit, Lunar Trailblazer will use its complex tools to find and map water in its various forms, offering valuable insights that can support the long-term sustainability of lunar bases.
NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are involved in the launch of the NISAR mission. Scheduled for early 2025, this Earth satellite will use complex radar systems to monitor changes in ecosystems, ice masses and the Earth’s crust, offering very important insights into natural hazards and climate change.
Equipped with complex dual-frequency artificial aperture radar instruments, NISAR will provide unprecedented high-resolution imagery. The project will have the ability to anticipate and respond to natural errors such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.
Spring 2025 is set to witness the inaugural flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, named after John Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. New Glenn will carry NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) mission to Mars.
This mission involves two identical spacecraft, Blue and Gold, developed by Rocket Lab and equipped with scientific instruments from the University of California, Berkeley.
The EscaPADE mission aims to study Mars’ magnetosphere and its interaction with solar wind, shedding light on the planet’s atmospheric loss and climate history. The data collected could be pivotal in understanding Mars’ potential to support life and preparing for future human exploration.
In April 2025, NASA plans to launch the spectrophotometer for the History of the Universe, Reionization Epoch and Ice Explorer (SPHEREx) mission. This observatory will conduct an in-depth study of the sky in optical and near-infrared light, mapping millions of galaxies and stars.
SPHEREx aims to answer basic questions about the origin of the universe, the formation of galaxies, and the prevalence of life-forming molecules in our galaxy. By analyzing cosmic rays and interstellar ice, SPHEREx will provide insights into the processes that shaped the early universe. .
Axiom Mission four (Ax-four) is an upcoming spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS), organized through Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX. The project is expected to launch no earlier than April 2025 and will last approximately 14 days.
The Ax-4 project will be led by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, marking her command of an Axiom Space project.
This project demonstrates a remarkable collaboration between Axiom Space and foreign partners, including the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Notably, this will be the first time a Polish astronaut has flown here in more than 40 years.
Ax-4 aims to perform clinical and generation demonstrations aboard the ISS, contributing to the commercialization of low-Earth orbit.
In May 2025, United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket is scheduled to launch Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spacecraft on its first project to the ISS. ULA is a U. S. spacecraft release provider formed as a joint venture between aerospace giants Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defence, Space
Dream Chaser is a reusable spaceplane designed to send shipments (and in all likelihood crew) to destinations in low Earth orbit.
The spacecraft’s ability to land on traditional runways makes it ideal for transporting delicate experiments and temporarily returning them to Earth. This project marks a vital milestone in the expansion of advertising delivery to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract.
NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 project, the first manned operational flight of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, is also planned for May 2025. The project will bring NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Scott Tingle, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk. to the ISS for a six-month expedition.
This project follows extensive testing and marks Boeing’s entry into offering regular equipment transportation to the ISS, complementing SpaceX’s Crew Dragon projects and enhancing the strength of SpaceX’s advertising equipment program. POT.
SpaceX is through NASA to launch the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2) project. The project is scheduled to launch in October 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon nine Block five rocket.
TSIS-2 is a NASA mission designed to measure the Sun’s energy input to Earth, continuing a data record that began in 1978. It will operate from a free-flying spacecraft, unlike its predecessor, TSIS-1, which functions aboard the International Space Station.
September 2025 is expected to see the launch of Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission under the Artemis program. This mission will carry four astronauts on a journey around the moon, testing the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems, navigation, and communication in deep space.
Artemis II serves as a crucial step toward landing the first woman and the next man on the moon with Artemis III. The mission aims to validate the technologies and systems necessary for sustainable lunar exploration and pave the way for future missions to Mars.
Towards the end of the year, NASA’s X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) experimental aircraft is expected to make its first flight in late 2025. Developed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, the X-59 aims to demonstrate its ability to fly at supersonic speeds. while particularly reducing the volume of the sonic boom to a soft “thud”.
If successful, this generation could lead to new regulations allowing supersonic flight over land, revolutionizing over-the-air advertising by drastically reducing flight times without disturbing communities on the ground.
Marie Boran is a Newsweek reporter based in Carlow, Ireland. Her focus is reporting on technology. She has covered the intersection of emerging technologies and society extensively. Marie joined Newsweek in August 2024, having previously written for The Irish Times, The Business Post, and The Irish Independent. She is a graduate of Dublin City University, where she obtained a Master’s degree in science communication, and the University of Galway, where she obtained a Master’s by research in digital sociology. You can get in touch with Marie on X/Twitter @marievonboran and Bluesky @marieboran.bsky.social. Languages: English.