Top 10 upcoming space missions to watch in 2025 and beyond
1. Intuitive Machines IM-3 (PRISM)
Launch Date: 2026
Destination: Moon
Description: As part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, Intuitive Machines' IM-3 mission will deliver scientific payloads and rovers to the lunar surface. This mission aims to study lunar geology and test technologies for future human exploration under NASA's Artemis program. Two previous launches faced challenges in landing.
2. ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers)
Launch Date: December 2025
Destination: Mars
Description: NASA's ESCAPADE mission, developed with UC Berkeley, consists of two small satellites, 'Blue' and 'Gold,' designed to orbit Mars at different altitudes. They will study the planet's plasma and magnetic fields to understand how Mars lost its atmosphere, a key factor in assessing its past habitability.
3. NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)
Launch Date: 2025
Destination: Earth Orbit
Description: A collaborative mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NISAR will use dual-frequency radar to monitor Earth's surface with high precision. It will track land movements related to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and environmental changes like deforestation and ice melt.
4. Artemis II
Launch Date: April 2026
Destination: Lunar Orbit
Description: NASA's Artemis II will be the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, sending four astronauts on a 10-day mission to orbit the Moon, testing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) for future lunar landings.
5. Gaganyaan-2
Launch Date: 2025 (Test Flights)
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Description: ISRO's Gaganyaan program will conduct two un-crewed test flights in 2025 to validate life support, avionics, and safety systems for India's first crewed mission, Gaganyaan-3. These missions are critical steps toward India becoming the fourth nation to independently send humans to space.
6. Space Rider
Launch Date: 2027
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Description: ESA's Space Rider is a reusable, uncrewed spaceplane designed to conduct microgravity experiments in low Earth orbit. It will study plant growth, material behavior, and biological processes in near-weightless conditions.
7. Dragonfly
Launch Date: July 2028
Destination: Titan (Saturn's Moon)
Description: NASA's Dragonfly is a rotorcraft mission to Titan, set to explore its organic-rich surface and study prebiotic chemistry, despite delays due to funding and technical reviews.
8. Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)
Launch Date: September 2026
Destination: Phobos (Mars' Moon)
Description: JAXA's MMX mission will explore Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, landing on Phobos to collect samples for return to Earth by 2031, studying their origins and Mars' early history.
9.VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy)
Launch Date: 2028
Destination: Venus
Description: NASA's VERITAS mission will map Venus' surface in high resolution to study its geology, tectonics, and volcanic activity, aiming to understand why Venus evolved differently from Earth.
10. Sentinel-6C
Launch Date: November 2030
Destination: Earth Orbit
Description: A NASA-NOAA-ESA-EUMETSAT mission, Sentinel-6C will measure global sea level changes, ocean winds, and water vapor to support climate research, continuing the legacy of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and Sentinel-6B.
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Hindustan Times
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
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Economic Times
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