NASA’s Artemis III mission, which was expected to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972, has been delayed. Originally planned for 2025, the historic mission has now been pushed
NASA’s Artemis III mission, which was expected to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972, has been delayed. Originally planned for 2025, the historic mission has now been pushed back to 2027, according to a report by Interesting Engineering.
But 2025 still has exciting developments to look forward to:
- This year, a new group of private space stations supported by NASA will begin to take shape
- India will move closer to sending its first astronauts into space
- China plans to achieve more historic milestones
- And SpaceX will keep testing the limits of its Starship rocket
2025 is shaping up to be another groundbreaking period. Here are some of the most exciting missions planned for the year:
- Haven-1: A New Era for Private Space Stations
The International Space Station (ISS) is coming to an end. It has been a symbol of global teamwork, but the future of space could reflect today’s divided politics.
China, which was never included in the ISS programme, now has its own Tiangong space station in orbit. Russia is planning to launch its own space station in the next few years. Meanwhile, the US is relying on private companies to build, and launch, a new generation of space stations into Earth’s orbit.
One of these stations, Vast’s Haven-1, is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket in August this year. Haven-1 can support up to four people in space for 30 days. It will also serve as a testing platform for the company’s next project, Haven-2—a bigger, and more advanced, modular space station.
- Tianwen-2: China’s Mission to Explore an Asteroid
China’s space programme has achieved significant milestones in recent years. In 2024, it reached another historic moment when the Chang’e-6 probe successfully gathered soil samples from the far side of the Moon, marking a world-first achievement.
This year, China is planning its first asteroid sampling mission. The Tianwen-2 spacecraft is scheduled to launch in May on a Long March 3B rocket. The mission will gather samples from the near-Earth asteroid Kamo’oalewa, and bring them back to Earth about two and a half years after launch.
Similar to NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, Tianwen-2 will drop off the asteroid samples during a pass-by Earth. After that, the spacecraft will continue its journey to study the main-belt comet, 311P/PANSTARRS.
- 2025 Is A Very Major Year for Missions to the Moon
The years 2023 and 2024 were big for lunar landings, with many missions aiming to touch down on the Moon. These two years saw much activity as different teams worked on exploring the lunar surface. One of the most remarkable events happened in July 2023, when India’s Chandrayaan-3 became the first spacecraft to soft-land near the lunar south pole.
The excitement continues in 2025, with many new Moon lander missions planned. This week (Week 3), Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander launched from Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket. Blue Ghost is targeting a landing on the Mare Crisium, a large-impact basin on the Moon. The same Falcon 9 rocket also carried the Hakuto-R Mission 2 lander, built by the Japanese company, iSpace, into orbit. Intuitive Machines plans to launch its second lander, the IM-2, in February. This will kick off a busy year filled with many lunar lander missions.
- Starliner Astronauts Suni, ‘Butch’ to Return Home
Astronauts Sunita Williams and ‘Butch’ Wilmore have been living on the ISS since they arrived on Boeing’s first crewed Starliner mission. Despite some dramatic headlines, they are not stuck in space. However, their stay on the ISS has lasted much longer than originally planned.
The two astronauts were initially scheduled to stay on the ISS for just a few days. However, by the time they return to Earth in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, they will have spent almost nine months in space. Current plans suggest they will come back in March or April this year.
- Elon Musk’s Starship In-Orbit Refuelling Technology
Last year, SpaceX made history by catching its Starship Super Heavy booster mid-air with Mechazilla (the giant tower with mechanical arms designed to catch rockets). It was an amazing achievement and it will be tough for SpaceX to top such that incredible moment this year.
This year, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has another big milestone planned. To get to the Moon, Starship will need to fly to Earth’s orbit and dock with another Starship to refuel. One Starship will act as a fuel station, giving the crewed lunar lander enough fuel to complete its journey to the Moon.
SpaceX is planning to test in-orbit refuelling technology this year to make sure it works. This test could happen as early as in March this year.
- India Gears Up for Human Spaceflight: The Gaganyaan
In 2023, India made history as the first country to land a spacecraft on the Moon’s southern polar region, as we stated earlier. Now, it is working to become the fourth country—after Russia (erstwhile Soviet Union), the US and China—to send humans to space on its own.
India’s space agency, ISRO, is planning to launch its first human spaceflight under the Gaganyaan programme in 2026. Before that, it will carry out an important test mission, called the G1 Uncrewed Orbital Mission. It will include a humanoid robot, named Vyomitra, meaning “Space Friend” in Sanskrit.
- Upcoming Rocket Launches Scheduled
This week (Week 3), Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully launched for the first time, reaching orbit on its very first try. This achievement makes New Glenn the largest operational rocket from Blue Origin—even bigger than SpaceX’s reliable Falcon 9.
This year, more new rockets are expected to launch for the first time, including Rocket Lab’s medium-lift Neutron rocket, developed in the USA, and Zhuque-3 from Chinese startup Landscape. Last year, Rocket Lab’s CEO, Sir Peter Beck, shared that his goal with Neutron was to challenge the dominance of SpaceX’s Falcon 9!
- Maiden Flight: Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser
Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, a small space-plane, was supposed to launch last year, but was delayed. Its first flight is now expected in the next few months.
Dream Chaser is a reusable, fully automated space-plane that is about one-fourth the size of NASA’s Space Shuttle. Unlike the Space Shuttle, it will include a large, inflatable habitat which is the size of a building.
An inflatable habitat is a type of expandable structure designed for use in space. It starts out compact for easy transport, and then inflates, or expands, once it is in space to create a larger, liveable area for astronauts. These habitats are made from strong, flexible materials that can handle the harsh conditions of space—such as extreme temperatures and radiation. They provide more room for living, working in, or storing equipment compared to rigid modules, while also being lighter, and easier, to launch.
The Dream Chaser space-plane is designed to carry people and supplies to the ISS and a future space station called Orbital Reef, being developed by Blue Origin and Sierra Space. Its first trip to space will be launched using a ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket.
- The ESA’s Reusable Space Rider Laboratory
The European Space Agency’s Space Rider is an uncrewed robotic lab about the size of two minivans. It is scheduled to launch in late-2025. On its first mission, it will spend two months in orbit, carrying out automated experiments in microgravity.
The space-plane will return to Earth by landing automatically on a runway at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. According to the ESA, the reusable Space Rider is planned to complete around six missions.
(The author of this article is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)
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