During the last year, we learned that galaxies are much bigger than we thought, what being in space does to an astronaut's body, how Europe is building its new Ariana 6 rocket, and that the first German astronaut is preparing for space. The coming year promises many excitements. What awaits us?
Meteor showers and lunar eclipses
There will be a lot going on near Earth that we will be able to see with the naked eye or telescopes, unless more and more satellites continue to obscure astronomers' view. Scientists say: this year there is no reason to worry about an asteroid or meteor hitting the Earth.
As early as January 3: The Quadrantid meteor shower lasts from mid-November to mid-January, it will peak. The meteors will spread from the northern sky, but will be visible everywhere. You need to be up early in the morning and hope that the peak comes at the right time in your part of the world.
Eta Aquarius will be visible from April 20 to May 21, with a peak on May 3 and 4. This is a powerful meteor shower visible from the southern tropics, but also north of the equator.
Another significant date is March 14, when a total lunar eclipse will be visible in the Pacific, Americas, Western Europe and West Africa.
Depending on your location, the second opportunity for a lunar eclipse will be on September 7, visible in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
NASA: Astronauts return to Earth in spring
Astronaut Suni Williams and astronaut Butch Willmore are still on the International Space Station and according to the latest plans, they should return to Earth in March or April 2025 if there are no further delays.
The two tested Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 and were only supposed to be on the road for eight days. However, due to problems with the propulsion of their craft, they were stuck on the space station.
They should be returned to Earth by SpaceX, Ilona Musk's private company.
ESA: Plant health is measured from space
This year will be significant for the analysis of Earth's ecosystems from space by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The ESA Biomass mission will measure the condition of forests and their changes, the satellite will be launched in 2025.
The FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) mission planned for launch in 2026 will provide global maps of plant health and is expected to last three and a half years. The satellite will carry new instruments capable of measuring photosynthetic activity from space for the first time. The instrument, called FLORIS, will measure the fluorescence of vegetation to record photosynthesis on a mass scale, providing better insight into the impact of plant ecosystems on the global carbon cycle.
The results of both missions could help shape policies for climate protection, agricultural management and food security.
NASA: slow return of humans to the moon - Artemis without launch in 2025
The year 2025 will also be important for the US space agency NASA's plans to return humans to the moon as part of the Artemis program - but there will be no rocket launches.
At the end of 2022, Artemis I successfully tested the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft. The flight around the moon - without a crew - lasted almost 26 days.
Artemis II plans to send a human crew - four astronauts - into lunar orbit in 2026. They are Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Kristina Koch all from the USA and Jeremy Hansen from Canada. The mission is planned to last ten days. Originally planned for late 2025, the launch of Artemis II has been pushed back to April 2026, to address problems discovered on the Orion spacecraft during the first mission.
The Artemis III mission is to return humans to the surface of the Moon for the first time since 1972. Four astronauts will spend about a month in lunar orbit. Two crew members will land on the surface of the Moon and spend about a week near the Moon's South Pole.
The Artemis IV mission is also planned - it will be humanity's first lunar space station.
Bonus video:
