In late February, a lunar lander will depart from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center headed to the moon, carrying instruments to investigate what lies beneath the surface. This mission marks the third journey to the moon in 2025, with a focus on establishing a strong commercial presence on the lunar surface. With multiple missions planned under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, 2025 is poised to be a busy year for lunar exploration.
Last year saw the launch of Astrobotics’ Peregrine lander, setting the stage for private missions to the moon. Intuitive Machines also successfully landed its Odysseus spacecraft, showcasing the potential for commercial space exploration. Building on these milestones, NASA has scheduled several CLPS missions for this year, including Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 and ispace’s Hakuto-R lander.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander is set to land on the moon in Mare Crisium on March 2, carrying a variety of science payloads for NASA and its partners. Concurrently, ispace’s Resilience lander will explore Mare Frigoris, carrying unique equipment such as a micro rover, water electrolyzer, and a food production experiment module. These missions are aimed at advancing our understanding of the lunar surface and its resources.
Intuitive Machines is gearing up for its second CLPS mission, sending the IM-2 Nova-C lander named Athena to the lunar south pole. Equipped with a drill and a mass spectrometer, Athena will conduct experiments to assess the feasibility of extracting resources like water from the moon. Additionally, the lander will host a Lunar Surface Communication System network in collaboration with Nokia, paving the way for enhanced connectivity on the lunar surface.
Looking ahead, Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander is expected to make its maiden voyage to the moon, potentially as early as this spring or summer. NASA has selected Blue Origin’s lander to deploy the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) instrument, crucial for future crewed Artemis missions. With a series of CLPS missions planned throughout the year, 2025 promises significant advancements in lunar exploration.
While human missions to the moon are still on the horizon, the Artemis program continues to evolve, with the first crewed flight now targeted for April 2026. As commercial entities and space agencies collaborate on lunar missions, the prospect of sustained human presence on the moon draws closer. Stay tuned for more updates on the exciting developments in commercial moon missions in 2025.
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