The past year saw several new records in space exploration, which we covered in our 2024 summary article. 2025 promises to continue the trends set in recent years: a growth in unmanned missions to explore the Solar System, testing new types of satellite communication, and implementing new spacecraft modifications. Here is a brief overview of events space enthusiasts should watch for this year.
Europe’s Space RIDER
The European Space Agency (ESA) managed only three space launches last year, two of which were successful. Currently, many European scientific instruments and experiments go to space aboard American launch vehicles. This dependency has become particularly acute since the end of the Ariane 5 program and repeated delays of Ariane 6, which left ESA without its own launch vehicle for nearly two years.
A similar situation can be observed in the spacecraft manufacturing sector. In the nearly 50 years since ESA was founded, the agency has developed only one unmanned spacecraft — the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle), which conducted five logistics missions to the ISS between 2008 and 2015.

Source: NASA
One notable achievement was the first, and so far only, demonstration of a suborbital lifting-body spaceplane, the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV), developed by Thales Alenia Space. On November 11, 2015, the prototype completed a demonstration flight, reaching an altitude of 412 km before successfully returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
Some European spacecraft projects, such as the Hermes or the ISS return capsule ACRV, never moved beyond the conceptual stage. Others, like the reusable SUSIE (Smart Upper Stage for Innovative Exploration) spacecraft, have been proposed but lacked sufficient support for implementation. The service module for the Orion spacecraft, intended for NASA’s Artemis lunar program, also has European origins and is being developed by Airbus Defence and Space, Europe’s leading aerospace consortium. However, it is only one component of the spacecraft, with the crew module of Orion being built by the American company Lockheed Martin.
In 2025, however, the era of ESA having no spacecraft of its own is expected to end. In the third quarter of the year, the debut of Space RIDER (Reusable Integrated Demonstrator for Europe Return) is anticipated. This reusable, unmanned spacecraft will provide Europe with a reliable vehicle for orbital missions and space research. The project is being developed under the Italian PRIDE program, which drew inspiration from IXV technology and significantly upgraded it to create a modern reusable lifting-body spacecraft. The project budget, approved by the ESA ministerial council in 2019, amounts to €195.73 million, with Thales Alenia Space and Avio serving as the primary contractors.

Source: ESA
The primary rocket for launching Space RIDER will be the Vega-C, and the spacecraft’s fairing was specifically designed to match the rocket’s dimensions. The service module, which will provide power during its two-month stay in orbit (the maximum duration Space Rider can remain in space), was also developed with the final stage of the Vega-C rocket, the AVUM+ service module, in mind. Before re-entering the atmosphere, the Space RIDER’s landing capsule will separate from the service module. To ensure a soft landing, the capsule is equipped with two parachutes.
Following the initial demonstration of Space RIDER, ESA plans several additional tests. Eventually, the spacecraft is likely to be privatized by Arianespace, enabling it to undertake commercial space missions. This development will provide Europe with its own reusable transport system, capable of up to six flights and carrying a payload of up to 620 kg. The vehicle’s debut has been eagerly anticipated in the European space community for quite some time.
SpaceX’s incredible plans: the Starship fuel tanker
By the end of 2024, we have already gotten used to routine flights by the world’s largest rocket, SpaceX’s Starship/Superheavy. However, in 2025, the heavy launch vehicle is set to have its first demonstration flight as an orbital fuel tanker.
This concept stems from SpaceX’s ambition to use its rocket for missions carrying large payloads (up to 150 tons) to the Moon and, later, to Mars. However, to deliver a massive spacecraft to the Moon, Starship will require refueling, as its fuel reserves will be nearly depleted after reaching Earth orbit. According to preliminary plans, three different modifications will be needed to facilitate a manned mission to the Moon as part of the Artemis III program:
- Fuel Depot: This spacecraft will launch into Earth orbit first. It will be equipped with an empty tank that will serve as a fuel storage facility. The depot will be filled by two subsequent Starship tankers.
- Tanker: Two tanker spacecraft will be required for the lunar mission. Launching one after the other, they will transfer their fuel reserves to the fuel depot waiting in orbit.
- Human Landing System (HLS): This version of the spacecraft is designed for transporting humans to the Moon. It will launch last, albeit without a crew. After refueling in orbit by docking with the fuel depot, the Starship HLS will head to the lunar transfer orbit. There, it will dock with NASA’s Orion spacecraft (to be launched by the SLS heavy-lift rocket). The crew will then transfer to the HLS, which will carry out the lunar landing. The ascent back to lunar orbit will also be performed by the HLS. After reaching lunar orbit, it will rendezvous with Orion and return the crew to Earth.

Source: NASA
Thus, in 2025, we will likely witness the first stage of this extremely complex plan to return humanity to the Moon. Unlike past journeys conducted under the Apollo space program, this new voyage will require no fewer than five heavy-lift rocket launches and two different types of crewed spacecraft. It seems that, in the new century, the complexity of the task has increased by not just a factor but by an entire order of magnitude.
As of now, SpaceX has already applied to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for permission to conduct 25 Starship/Superheavy launches in 2025. For reference, the FAA limited the number of Starship/Superheavy launches to five in 2024. However, following Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election in November 2024, there are few reasons to doubt that Elon Musk, Trump’s close ally, financial patron, and political supporter, will face many obstacles in getting what he wants from the American government.
Blue Origin lunar lander
While SpaceX is preparing for Artemis III, one of its main competitors, Blue Origin, is preparing the first demonstration of its own lunar lander, Blue Moon, which is also being developed for NASA’s Artemis program.
According to the company’s representatives, the lander platform can be used for both cargo delivery (Mark 1 version) and crewed missions (Mark 2). In 2025, a demonstration of the robotic Mk 1 platform, with a cargo bay that can hold up to 3 tons, is expected.
The crewed Blue Moon Mk 2 lander is intended for Artemis V (previously scheduled for 2030) and will transport a crew of four astronauts to the Moon’s surface. This configuration will allow astronauts to stay inside for up to a month. Before the Mk 2 with passengers reaches the Moon, the M 1 will deliver communication and power equipment that will enable crews to maintain contact with Earth and generate electricity.

Source: SpaceX / Blue Origin
In early March 2024, Blue Origin’s Senior Vice President of Lunar Permanence, John Couluris, noted that the company would be ready to launch the first Mk 1 within 12-16 months from the date of his interview. That would mean that the deadline for the Blue Moon launch will be in July 2025.
The Pathfinder Mission will test the spacecraft’s core systems, including testing its liquid cryogenic Blue Engine-7 (BE-7), which was specially developed for Blue Moon. The engine runs on a fuel mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and can generate 4.5 tons of thrust for lunar descent/ascent. The cargo version of Blue Moon Mk 1 will contain only one BE-7 engine, and the same propulsion system architecture will be used on Mk 2.

Source: Blue Origin
It is worth noting that Blue Origin is not the only company involved in the development of the Blue Moon platform. Lockheed Martin is responsible for producing the Cislunar Transporter, a space tug equipped with the same BE-7 engines used on Blue Moon. The Cislunar Transporter will be responsible for delivering Blue Moon from Earth orbit to lunar orbit along a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO). Once the lunar orbit is reached, the lander will detach from the Cislunar Transporter and carry out a soft landing.
The Blue Moon launch will be carried out using the New Glenn rocket, which is currently being developed by Blue Origin. The company planned the first demonstration of its launch vehicle in December 2024, but the first tests took place on January 16, 2025, and the rocket reached orbit on its first attempt. The results of its test flight will directly affect when we see a demonstration of Blue Moon.
Possible Haven-1 launch: free Wi-Fi in orbit?
Another optimistic forecast for 2025 is the possible debut of the first fully commercial orbital space station, Haven-1, which is being developed by the American company Vast.
The orbital station, designed for a crew of four, will be positioned in low Earth orbit (LEO). Crew rotations will be carried out using Crew Dragon spacecraft, which are currently busy with transporting and returning astronauts from the ISS.
One likely scenario for the launch of the space station suggests that it could happen as early as August 2025. The launch will be carried out by a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. Shortly after the station reaches its orbital position, Vast-1 will rendezvous with it and deliver a crew of four. They will live on the station for 30 days.

Source: Vast
The living space inside Haven-1 will be only 24 m³ (with the station’s length being 10.1 x 3.8 meters). It has already been announced that a private microgravity laboratory with 10 slots for up to 30 kg of payload each will also be located on the station. This means that private companies can rent space for installing scientific instruments and conducting research, including fully automated studies. Four solar panels on Haven-1 will generate 1 kW of electricity.
The engine used for adjusting the station’s orbit was developed by the young startup Impulse Space, founded in 2021. Vast approved the design of the proposed Impulse Space engine in June 2023.
However, the most innovative technology on Haven-1 will be its Earth communication system. In April 2024, Vast announced that Haven-1 would use laser communication from new SpaceX satellites. SpaceX claims that its new laser communication systems can provide connections at speeds of up to 100 Gbps, though Vast currently expects to achieve at least up to 1 Gbps of broadband connection with low latency. Either way, the station’s crew will literally be able to connect their devices to Wi-Fi to communicate with Earth.
While Vast prepares to launch the world’s first orbital station with free Wi-Fi (internet included in the ticket price!), on the other side of the globe, China is organizing a demonstration of quantum communication and key encryption systems using new experimental satellites.
Quantum communication and asteroid samples: China’s plans for 2025
In 2025, China plans to launch two or three satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) for a demonstration of quantum communication and data encryption technology. Development of the spacecraft is being carried out by the Institute of Quantum Information and Quantum Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), under the leadership of Professor Pan Jianwei.
China launched the first satellite to be used in the demonstration, Mozi/QUESS, in 2016. At that time, the spacecraft conducted several demonstrations of quantum data transmission and quantum key distribution (QKD) technology, which enabled the establishment of a secure communication channel between Beijing and Vienna that was immune to software hacking. Despite the mission’s planned duration of two years, Mozi is still in operation. In 2022, China launched the Jinan-1 satellite, which continued experiments with QKD technology.

Source: scmp.com
Since the launch of Mozi, China has made huge leaps in developing quantum data exchange technology, even going so far as to build the world’s first 2,000 km quantum communication backbone. This fiber optic data transmission line connects two major Chinese cities, Beijing and Shanghai, creating an ultra-secure, ground-based data transmission channel for the Chinese government.
According to Professor Pan Jianwei, over the next 5-6 years, China plans to refine its technology and attempt to establish quantum signal relays. If all goes according to plan, by 2030, China will be close to launching a national quantum communication network on medium and high orbits.
The new satellite will be equipped with a larger photon telescope (its lens will have a diameter of 600 mm, compared to Mozi’s 100 mm lens). Moreover, the new quantum satellites will be placed in orbits higher than LEO, which will facilitate longer data transmission experiments to ground stations, as satellites in higher orbits move more slowly across the sky.
Other countries, meanwhile, have been slow to begin development of satellite-based quantum communication systems. As of now, only one German CubeSat devoted to quantum key distribution technologies, Qube, has been placed in orbit. This occurred in August 2024 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The United States may also be testing similar technology, albeit secretly. Among commercial American companies, only Boeing has promised to launch a satellite for these purposes, but not before 2026. During the same period, the European aerospace giant Thales Alenia Space plans to launch its own satellite. The company has already created a new consortium called TeQuantS, which will focus on creating a European network for quantum satellite communication.
Quantum satellites, however, will not be the only highlight for China in 2025. The Tianwen 2 mission (formerly named ZhengHe) is also scheduled for launch in May 2025. This mission aims to return samples from asteroid 469219 Kamo’oalewa (2016 HO3) and conduct an in-depth study of the main belt comet, 311P/PANSTARRS.

Source: thesolarsystem.fandom.com
Tianwen 2 will be a conceptual complement to Japan’s Hayabusa 2, which delivered samples from asteroid 162173 Ryugu to Earth in December 2020, and the American OSIRIS-REx mission, which brought samples from asteroid 101955 Bennu in September 2023.
The Tianwen 2 mission will take place in two main stages, which can be loosely referred to as the “asteroid” and “comet” phases. During the first phase, the spacecraft, which will be launched aboard a Long March 3B rocket, will approach and make a pinpoint landing on the asteroid. It will then attempt to collect soil and rock samples in a special storage compartment. Afterward, the probe will head back to Earth, where it will release its sample return capsule, and then head towards comet 311P/PanSTARRS.
The Tianwen 2 mission is scheduled for May 2025. According to the initial mission plan, the spacecraft will not approach the asteroid before 2027. Chinese scientists will thus only be able to obtain asteroid samples by the end of the current decade. The approach and further study of comet 311P/PanSTARRS, meanwhile, will take place in the mid-2030s. Nevertheless, Tianwen 2’s launch is highly anticipated, as it will be China’s first mission to return asteroid samples to Earth.
2025, then, will be full of exciting news and surprises for space enthusiasts. While not all of the events described here are guaranteed to take place this year (since space initiatives often face delays and schedule changes), there’s still a lot to look forward to!