
The year 2025 is poised to be a pivotal one for space exploration, with numerous countries launching ambitious missions to expand human’s understanding of the solar system.
It should be noted that the ongoing year 2024 has been a remarkable one for space exploration, with numerous notable missions launched by prominent space agencies and organisations, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX.
The following space missions are slated for launch in 2025.
Lunar missions by NASA, Japan
NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative will be partnering with private companies to send instruments to the Moon. These missions will focus on studying lunar geology, testing technologies for human exploration, and collecting environmental data.
Similarly, Japan's M2/Resilience mission, also known as Hakuto-R Mission 2, is a lunar landing mission scheduled to launch in January 2025.
The Hakuto-R Mission 2 will deploy a lander and micro-rover to the Moon to research lunar soil composition and water-splitting processes.
Asteroid and comet exploration
In the realm of asteroid and comet exploration, NASA's Lucy mission will conduct a flyby of the asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson in April 2025, providing valuable data on ancient asteroid composition.
Additionally, China's Tianwen-2 mission will collect samples from the asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa in May 2025, followed by a visit to the comet 311P/PANSTARRS.
Orbital, deep-space research
Moreover, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Space Rider uncrewed spaceplane will embark on its maiden flight in 2025, focusing on microgravity experiments and technological demonstrations.
Furthermore, Flybys by missions such as ESA's Juice and NASA's Europa Clipper will also play a critical role in their journeys to Jupiter's moons.
The primary goals of these missions are to give insights into the origins of the solar system, drive technological innovation, and pave the way for future human and robotic spaceflight.