Spaceflight in 2025 promises to follow the 2020s trend of record-breaking orbital launches (with at least 300 expected) and increased developments in lunar, Mars, and low-earth orbit exploration. Spaceflight in 2025 will include more private companies' launches, and reusable launch vehicles will be used. Private robotic landers, part of NASA's CLPS Program have touched down with more to land as part of the Artemis program.
AstroForge's Brokkr-2 was launched on 27 February 2025 to perform a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid and determine if the asteroid is metallic.[1] The mission failed because of communication issues.
China launched the Tianwen-2 (ZhengHe) asteroid sample-return and comet probe on 28 May 2025.[2] It will rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa in mid-2026, attempt to collect samples, and return samples back to Earth in late 2027. Then it will travel to main-belt comet311P/PANSTARRS for a decade-long mission to further explore the mysterious comet-like object.[3]
Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander carried NASA-sponsored experiments and commercial payloads as a part of Commercial Lunar Payload Services program to Mare Crisium.[4] Landing was completed successfully on 2 March 2025.[5] The mission exceeded expectations by transmitting over 110 GB of scientific and imaging data, including high‐definition views of the lunar horizon glow and an eclipse, far surpassing previous CLPS mission data yields.[6]
Intuitive Machines's lunar lander IM-2, carrying NASA-sponsored experiments and commercial rovers (Yaoki, AstroAnt, Micro-Nova and MAPP LV1) and payloads as a part of Commercial Lunar Payload Services program to Mons Mouton, was launched on 27 February 2025 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle with Brokkr-2 and Lunar Trailblazer. IM-2 landed on 6 March 2025. The spacecraft was intact after touchdown but resting on its side, thereby complicating its planned science and technology demonstration mission; this outcome is similar to what occurred with the company's IM-1 Odysseus spacecraft in 2024.[10]
Lunar Trailblazer aims to aid in the understanding of lunar water and the Moon's water cycle. The mission failed as contact was never established with spacecraft after launch.[11] On March 13, Intuitive Machines shared that, like on the IM-1 mission, the Athena's altimeter had failed during landing, leaving its onboard computer without an accurate altitude reading. As a result, the spacecraft struck a plateau, tipped over, and skidded across the lunar surface, rolling once or twice before settling inside the crater. The company's CEO compared it to a baseball player sliding into a base. During the slide, the spacecraft rolled once or twice, before coming to rest inside the crater. The impact also kicked up regolith that coated the solar panels in dust, further degrading their performance.[12]
On 30 January, Sunita Williams broke the world record for the most time spent on spacewalk by a woman when she accumulated 62 hours and 6 minutes on her ninth EVA. The record was previously held by Peggy Whitson with 60 hours and 21 minutes.[14]
Blue Origin completed the maiden flight of its New Glenn rocket on 16 January 2025. The second stage successfully placed its payload into orbit, while the first stage failed to land on the recovery ship offshore.[17]
SpaceX expects to perform an in-space propellant transfer demonstration using two docked Starships in 2025—a critical milestone that will allow SpaceX to refuel their Starship HLS vehicle for an uncrewed lunar landing demonstration in the following year.[18]
Satellite technology
ISRO successfully completed the docking of two SpaDeX satellites (SDX-01 & SDX-02) in the early hours of 16 January 2025.[19]Docking of two vehicles in space has previously only been achieved by the Soviet Union/Russia, United States, ESA, and China.
The Molniya rocket failed to deliver the spacecraft to a Venus transfer orbit, stranding it in orbit for 53 years. The lander's successful entry was monitored by Roscosmos, with the vehicle impacting the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta.
This flyby of Venus will increase the inclination of the spacecraft's orbit further to 24 degrees, and will mark the start of the ‘high-latitude’ mission.
Hague and Williams ventured outside and replaced the Rate Gyro Assembly Gyroscope 2 on the S0 Truss, replaced the retro reflectors on IDA 3, installed shields on NICER to patch holes in the light shades, relocated the C2V2 cables out of the way so the astronauts and Canadarm 2 could access the worksite, tested a tool on the AMS jumpers, and photographed the AMS jumpers so they can be de-mated on a future spacewalk. As part of a get-ahead task, they inspected an ammonia vent line on Unity and inspected a foot restraint located near the Z1 Radio Antenna. This spacewalk was originally supposed to be performed by Andreas Mogensen and Loral O'Hara during Expedition 70, but it was delayed indefinitely due to a radiator leak on Nauka.[26]
Wilmore and Williams successfully removed a faulty radio communications unit, although the time needed for this meant that other tasks that were scheduled for the spacewalk weren't accomplished. Williams broke the record for the woman to have spent the most on EVA, with a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes.[14]
McClain and Ayers relocated a communications antenna, installed a mounting bracket for a future Roll Out Solar Array, installed a jumper cable to provide power from the P6 truss to the Russian Orbital Segment and removed bolts from a micrometeoroid cover.[28]
Tasks included installation of more space debris protection devices and inspections of the exterior, fixing damages to the TSS. First Chinese EVA from core module since transitioning into application and development phase.
Tasks included installation of more space debris protection devices and inspections of the exterior, fixing damages to the TSS. They added foot restraints and EVA interface adapters on portable work platform for future EVAs.[29]
Tasks included completing installation of debris protection devices and auxiliary extravehicular facilities, and inspecting and maintaining external equipment.[30]
Energetic fragmentation event; Cause Unknown; but may be related to upper stage passivization or insulation.
Orbital launch statistics
By country
For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. For example, Electron rockets launched from the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand are counted under the United States because Electron is an American rocket. For a launch attempt to be considered orbital it must be trying to achieve a positive perigee. Launches from the Moon are not included in the statistics.
For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of suborbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. Flights intended to fly below 80km (50mi) are omitted. This includes suborbital flights for all purposes, including scientific and military application.
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
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