What developments can we expect over the next few years?
LAUNCERS
| Vehicle | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing Starliner | First crewed test flight | Summer 2021 |
| NASA SLS/Orion Uncrewed | First uncrewed launch of Orion capsule & SLS | Nov 2021 |
| SpaceX Starship | First uncrewed orbital flight | 2021? |
| CASIC | Chinese reusable spaceplane | 2025 |
EARTH ORBIT
| Station | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese space station | Core stage of China’s first space station launched | Spring 2021 |
| American Lunar Station |
LUNAR
| Mission | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Spacebit | British made “spider” microlander | H2 2021 |
| Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander | H2 2021 | |
| Chandrayaan-3 | India’s third lunar robotic lander | 2021 |
| NASA SLS/Orion Crewed | Crewed lunar flyby of Orion capsule/SLS | Aug 2023 |
| Lunar Gateway | First modules power & propulsion and Habitat & logistics modules launched to lunar orbit | Jan 2024 |
| NASA SLS/Orion Landing | First crewed landing on the moon since 1971 | Oct 2024 |
ON TO MARS
| Mission | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tianwen-1 | China’s first Mars orbiter & rover reaches Mars | 10 Feb 21 |
| SpaceX Starship | First uncrewed Mars mission launched | 2022? |
| SpaceX Starship | First Crewed Mars mission launched | 2024? |
OUTER PLANETS
| Mission | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Europa Clipper | Nasa Europa orbiter launched | 2025 |
Transorbital 