Farewell to the Juno probe, return of astronauts stuck in space, visit of a comet by China, experimentation with the FROG rocket and of course SpaceX with Starship. Here are the 10 major space events of 2025.
We tend to say it every year, in anticipation of the next one: the next twelve months will be busy for those who like to follow space news. In 2025, however, this promise will be a little more true than usual. Some particularly remarkable missions are on the program, on the SpaceX Starship side.
As always, part of the 2025 schedule is partly made up of missions that should have left earlier. We are thinking in particular of the first commercial flight of Ariane 6, planned for December 2024 until recently. Artemis II, which was to fly a crew over the Moon, also suffered from a postponement. We now expect it in 2026.
The calendar below is given for information purposes only, with the most recent projections. It is likely to change in the coming months. Remember: access to space is difficult, expensive and subject to a number of internal and external hazards. An incident may result in a long-term postponement. The history of the conquest of space is full of them.
February 2025: first commercial flight of the Ariane 6 rocket
Ariane 6 successfully completed its maiden flight in the summer of 2024, giving Europe the long-awaited successor to Ariane 5, which has bowed out for good. The first commercial flight of the new European rocket, expected at the end of December, however slipped to mid-February 2025. This involves sending a French military satellite dedicated to intelligence.
February 2025: capture of the Starship in mid-flight
On October 13, 2024, SpaceX managed to catch the first stage of its Starship rocket with its Mechazilla launch tower, just before it hit the ground. The company signed a major first, but which has not yet been reproduced. Now, the American company wants to do the same with the upper floor.
March 2025: return to Earth of the castaways from the ISS
They left aboard Starliner on June 5 and were to stay on the International Space Station (ISS) for a week. Unfortunately, this stay was extended, due to doubts about the reliability of the capsule manufactured by Boeing. Two astronauts will return to Earth a priori at the end of March. SpaceX is managing the repatriation.
May 2025: first flight of the space shuttle Dream Chaser to the ISS
Dream Chaser (dream chaser) is a reusable shuttle, similar to the American space shuttle. Here, it involves transporting passengers into low orbit and bringing them back to Earth as simply as by plane. Built by Sierra Space, the shuttle is scheduled to debut in May 2025, at the earliest. Direction the ISS.
May 2025: Tianwen-2, Chinese mission to conquer samples of comet 311P/Panstarrs
Do you remember the European Rosetta mission, which sent a small lander, Philae, to comet Tchouri? China wants to do the same thing: it is the Tianwen-2 project, which targets comet 311P/Panstarrs. There is also talk of collecting samples which will then be sent to Earth. But that will be in the 2030s.
Early 2025: France tests Frog, its reusable and experimental rocket
The National Center for Space Studies (Cnes) has been incubating the FROG project for several years (FPLEASE, a ROcket for GNC demonstration), which consists of progressing in the sector of reusable rockets. Other projects like Themis and Callisto exist. A first flight of a more advanced version of FROG is expected in the first half of the year.
September 2025: it’s the end of Juno
The Juno space probe will bow out in September 2025. The machine, which has already benefited from a significant extension of activity (its end should already have taken place in 2021). The probe will have made it possible to deepen our knowledge of Jupiter. And it is precisely into the deadly arms of the gas giant that the satellite will be thrown to put an end to it.
Current 2025: fuel transfer in space
Traveling into deep space will require developing know-how to transport fuel into space. Not everything can be done with the tanks of rockets launched from Earth. SpaceX is working on a method to transfer fuel from one ship to another. A demonstration is planned for 2025.
Current 2025: Space Rider, a reusable European laboratory
Who said only rockets could be reusable? The European Space Agency intends to carry out an orbital test flight of Space Rider during the year. Without a crew, and the size of two cars, it must remain in orbit for two months to validate its technologies and technical orientations. It will be launched by a Vega-C rocket.
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During 2025: Blue Origin sends its lander to the Moon
The New Glenn rocket has certainly still not made its maiden flight, which was expected at the end of 2024. However, the company that manufactures this rocket, Blue Origin, intends to use it this year to send its very first lander to the Moon. This is the Blue Moon project, which was presented for the first time in 2019.
Find all the information on the impetuous planet Jupiter
