Last 12 months was a busy 12 months for space missions, and 2025 will probably be no different.
Over the following 12 months, the further development of latest missiles will probably be of great importance. For example, as we head into the brand new 12 months, SpaceX goes to really ramp up the launch rate of its next-generation Starship rocket.
Since its first test flight in 2023, the 120-meter Starship, consisting of a super-heavy first-stage booster and an upper-stage Starship spacecraft, has accomplished six flights. SpaceX has now received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch Starship on its seventh test flight from the corporate’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.
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The launch date has not yet been confirmed, but reports late last 12 months suggested SpaceX was planning a seventh test flight of the spacecraft on Saturday, January 11.
Launching a spacecraft is a spectacular sight, with the super-heavy booster producing a record 17 million kilos of thrust at launch. An additional attraction is the chance to see the booster return after sending the Starship spacecraft into orbit.
Unlike SpaceX’s massive Falcon 9 booster, which lands on the bottom upon reentry, SpaceX uses giant mechanical arms on the launch tower to “catch” the returning super-heavy booster, securing it before it touches the bottom. It completed this astonishing feat on its first attempt during its fifth test flight in October, but an anomaly during its sixth flight in November forced the booster to land in the Gulf of Mexico, where it was later recovered.
NASA wants to use SpaceX’s Starship for crew and cargo flights to the Moon, Mars and maybe beyond. Thanks to increased testing, big steps will likely be taken this 12 months towards Starship’s certification, paving the best way for its first operational flight.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket
Another rocket launch worth watching this month is the inaugural flight of Blue Origin’s first orbital rocket, New Glenn.
Until now, the spaceflight company led by Jeff Bezos has only launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket on tourist flights to the sting of space.
New Glenn, powered by BE-4 engines, is a two-stage, heavy-lift orbital rocket with 3.85 million kilos of thrust at liftoff, greater than twice the thrust of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which produces 1 thrust at liftoff. 7 million kilos. climbs towards the sky. New Glenn’s greater thrust reflects its design for larger payloads and more demanding missions compared to Falcon 9.
In the ultimate days of 2024, the New Glenn rocket successfully accomplished its integrated launch vehicle hot ignition test, marking a significant milestone towards its first flight.
The maiden launch is predicted to happen any day now from Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and can carry Blue Origin’s Blue Ring Pathfinder payload, designed to test the brand new rocket’s key technologies. It can even function an indication mission for the U.S. Space Force’s national security space launch program.
To be clear, launch dates for Starship and New Glenn haven’t been officially announced yet, but each missions are expected to launch this month.
