As we move into 2025, the field of space exploration is buzzing with exciting missions, new technologies, and a renewed focus on understanding our universe and our place within it. This year promises to be a significant one, with both public and private ventures pushing the boundaries of what's possible. In our first SETI Live of the year, communications specialist Beth Johnson and senior astronomer Dr. Franck Marchis examined some of the upcoming missions and events.
Private Lunar Missions
A key development to watch in 2025 is the surge in private lunar missions. Several companies are planning their next attempts to land on the moon, including:
ispace, a Japanese company with offices in Luxembourg, is planning to launch its "Resilience" mission, which will attempt to land on the moon and deploy a mini-rover.
Astrobotic also has a lunar lander called Griffin-1, which will be carrying a lunar rover from Astrolab when it launches near the end of 2025.
Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander will attempt two more moon landings. The lander will carry instruments to analyze the lunar surface, magnetic field, and static forces as part of NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) program. These missions are critical for gathering data on the conditions of the lunar surface, which will be crucial for future lunar bases.
New Rocket Technology
New launch capabilities are on the horizon. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket already made its first launch in January. This reusable rocket has the potential to launch satellites and missions to the moon and beyond.
Space Missions
Several space missions are set to launch or deliver important data in 2025:
SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer): This NASA mission will map the universe in the near-infrared, studying galaxy formation, water ice, and organic materials in stellar nurseries. It will also collect data on asteroids.
Escapade (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers): This mission will send two spacecraft (named Gold and Blue after the University of California, Berkeley colors) to orbit Mars. The spacecraft will study Mars' magnetosphere and how it interacts with the solar wind, potentially shedding light on how Mars lost its atmosphere.
Euclid: Although it was previously launched, the Euclid telescope, orbiting similarly to JWST, is expected to release its first scientific data this year. It is mapping the universe at different wavelengths to understand dark matter and dark energy. Like SPHEREx, it will also gather asteroid data.
International Collaboration
Several international space programs are also making strides:
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is planning its first crewed spaceflight, "Gaganyaan-3," which will orbit the Earth with three astronauts for a few days.
China is launching its "Tianwen-2" mission, which will attempt to return an asteroid sample, similar to NASA's OSIRIS-REx and JAXA's Hayabusa2 missions. Asteroid sample return missions are important for planetary defense and understanding the potential for commercial asteroid mining.
Asteroid Exploration and Mining
Asteroids continue to be a major focus for exploration and resource utilization, as they contain water, iron, and nickel that could be valuable in space:
Astroforge, a private company, is launching its "ODIN" mission to fly by an asteroid and test the feasibility of private asteroid exploration. The company is also considering future asteroid mining.
NASA's Lucy mission, launched in 2021, will fly by the main belt asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson (named after the anthropologist who discovered the Lucy skeleton https://iho.asu.edu/about/lucys-story ) in 2024 on its way to its main target, the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter.
Telescopes and Observatories
Both space and ground-based telescopes are expanding our understanding of the universe:
JWST (James Webb Space Telescope): JWST continues to operate and will focus on planets with potential signs of life, such as K2-18b, a planet where molecules related to the existence of algae may have been detected.
The Hubble Space Telescope continues to be a workhorse for astronomy, though it may need to be saved from atmospheric drag by a future mission.
Vera Rubin Observatory: This 8.4-meter telescope in Chile, with its giant three-gigapixel camera, is scheduled to achieve first light in July. It will survey the entire Southern sky every three days and alert astronomers to new events.
Laser SETI Stations: This year, the SETI Institute is building a network of ten laser SETI stations to look for transient events, such as laser pulses from extraterrestrial civilizations.
Unistellar Network: Unistellar is releasing a new observation mode for tracking satellites and is working with astronomers to develop SkyMapper, a network that connects multiple telescopes for all-sky observation.
Astronomical Events
Several astronomical events are on the calendar:
Two total lunar eclipses in March and September will be visible from various parts of the world.
Saturn's rings will seem to disappear when viewed edge-on from Earth in March, though the event might not be visible from Earth.
The nova binary system, T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), is still being monitored. A possible brightening is expected in 2025, and the impending nova will be visible to the unaided eye.
Other Notable Developments
Juno Mission: The Juno mission, which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, will end this year by plunging into Jupiter's atmosphere to avoid contaminating its moons.
SpaceX: SpaceX will continue to test its Starship capabilities, including launching satellites and testing refueling technologies. This could prove vital for future deep space missions.
UAPs/Drones: The SETI Institute is also exploring ways to observe the entire sky to investigate unexplained aerial phenomena, such as drones.
This year is set to bring many exciting and pivotal moments for space exploration, from private lunar missions to groundbreaking telescopic observations. The advancements in technology, international collaboration, and the increasing participation of private companies and citizen scientists are pushing humanity closer to a deeper understanding of the universe and more distant explorations than ever before. For more details, watch the full SETI Live on the SETI Institute’s YouTube channel.
