China or the USA, which nation will be the first to put people on the moon? Spacefaring nations have big plans on Earth’s satellite. Private providers are increasingly getting involved – like Elon Musk, whose space company SpaceX is constantly undertaking new test flights with the “Starship”, the largest and most powerful rocket system built to date in space history.
USA: Astronauts should orbit the moon
The US space agency Nasa wants to put people on the moon again – and is looking forward to the first manned launch of the “Artemis” program. Due to technical problems, among other things, it had to be postponed from 2024 to 2025. In September, three men and one woman are scheduled to orbit the moon on the ten-day “Artemis 2” mission. In 2026 – according to current planning – on “Artemis 3” astronauts will land on the moon again after more than half a century, including a woman and a non-white person for the first time. However, further delays are not unlikely.
SpaceX is also being watched with excitement: How will founder Elon Musk’s close relationship with Donald Trump, who has been re-elected US President, influence the development of the private space company? The “Starship” has already completed around half a dozen tests and has mastered more and more challenges.
The “Starliner”, which brought astronauts to the ISS for the first time in 2024, remains crisis-plagued. Due to technical problems, the Boeing spacecraft was unable to bring the crew back and had to fly back empty. It will be seen in 2025 whether the “Starliner” can be brought into shape – or whether the project will be canceled entirely.
CHINA: Manned moon landing by 2030
After several unmanned flights to the moon, the space power China has set itself a new task for 2025: According to reports from Chinese state media, the start of the “Tianwen-2” mission is planned for May, which is intended to bring rock samples from a near-Earth asteroid to Earth. In parallel, China will continue research on its “Tiangong” space station.
A key state goal remains the manned moon landing by 2030. For this purpose, a new generation of launch vehicles, a lander and special equipment are being developed. The launch of the next unmanned lunar mission “Chang’e 7” is planned for 2026. A lander is supposed to explore possible locations for a Chinese station near the south pole of the Earth’s satellite.
RUSSIA: Billions for space travel despite war and sanctions
Despite its costly war of aggression against Ukraine and the associated economic sanctions, Russia is also planning to spend the equivalent of around three billion euros on space travel in 2025. Despite the serious political tensions, Russia and the USA continue to work together on the ISS space station.
The state space company Roskosmos wants to continue work on its lunar program and a new outpost for humanity in space as the successor to the ISS. Russia must remain a leading space nation, even if competitors, including private companies, are increasingly discovering the cosmos, said Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Russia wants to expand its cooperation especially with China, India and Iran.
For space tourists, Russia is offering trips to the ISS in the third and fourth quarters of 2025 for the first time since 2021. The stay at an altitude of around 400 kilometers is planned for ten days. Near Moscow, wealthy customers in the Star City settlement go through months of preparation alongside cosmonauts for the three-hour flight from the Baikonur cosmodrome to the ISS. In 2021, Russia brought two Japanese space tourists to the ISS.
EUROPE: 50 years of Esa
The European space agency Esa is not only celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding next year, but is also planning a number of new missions. The “Biomass” mission is scheduled to start in the first quarter and will provide data on the condition and development of forests. “Smile” is scheduled to start in the fall. The mission is intended to investigate the magnetic environment of our home planet on a global scale and thus contribute to a better understanding of the connection between the sun and the earth, for example in the solar wind.
After the successful maiden flight of Ariane 6 in July, the rocket is scheduled to launch next summer with four instead of just two boosters. According to Esa, the payload can be more than doubled to around 11.5 tons. Esa is also involved in NASA’s “Artemis” program. “Esa has three flights as part of the Artemis cooperation,” said a spokeswoman. Two have already been allocated: for “Artemis 4” and “Artemis 5”. A flight has not yet been assigned to a mission. “We expect these flights to take place before 2030.”
INDIA: Space Vision 2047
“Viksit Bharat 2047” (Developed India 2047) is the watchword issued by the government for the country’s development. By then, India, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its independence, wants to become a fully developed industrial nation – this is accompanied by ambitious space plans. Indian astronauts are expected to reach the moon by 2040.
In the next few years there will be the first manned space flight – for a three-person crew in India’s first manned spacecraft “Gaganyaan” (celestial vehicle). The unmanned “Chandrayaan-4” mission is scheduled to bring samples from the moon to Earth in 2028. The flight of a probe to Mars and a Venus orbiter mission are also being prepared.
JAPAN: Moon and Mars in sight
The Asian high-tech nation is pushing ahead with projects to explore the moon and Mars. In the “Lupex” (Lunar Polar Exploration) project, Japan is responsible for the lunar rover and India for the lander. Instruments from NASA and ESA will be attached to the rover. The launch is planned for 2025 and the landing will take place in the south polar region of the moon.
The data obtained will be used for the “Artemis” program. Like Esa, Japan is aiming to bring its own astronauts to the moon for the first time. The Japanese space agency Jaxa and Esa are also examining collaboration on the Esa lunar landing capsule “Argonaut” and Jaxa’s “Pressurized Rover”.
Japan is also pushing ahead with an exploration mission to Mars. In the “Martian Moons Exploration” (MMX) project, a probe is scheduled to launch in the direction of the Mars moons Phobos and Deimos in 2026/27. Jaxa wants to explore the moons and collect soil samples from Phobos – in the hope of finding clues to the origin of Mars and traces of possible life.
SOUTH KOREA: Ambitious visions – unclear financing
South Korea’s space agency Kasa was only founded in spring 2024. To underscore its importance for the country’s future, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared May 27 – Founding Day – as National Space Day.
South Korea is pursuing ambitious plans: a lander will be sent to the moon by 2032, followed by a mission to Mars in 2045. By then, South Korea should be one of the five largest spacefaring nations – the industry should then generate over 500,000 jobs. It is uncertain whether the vision can be implemented. In particular, the question of sustainable financing seems open.
For 2025, Kasa has requested a budget of around 650 million euros, which would mean an increase of almost 30 percent compared to the previous year. In the long term, however, success depends on how willing the South Korean private sector is to invest. In addition, government involvement could weaken as soon as a new president is elected in 2027.
ARABIC SPACE: Flight to the asteroid belt
In the region, the United Arab Emirates is pushing ahead with ambitious space plans. An unmanned flight to the asteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter is planned for 2028. On the journey lasting several billion kilometers, the probe will fly past six asteroids before landing on a seventh in 2034.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman are also investing in space travel. However, it is less about scientific progress than about strengthening military capabilities and keeping up with other countries technically. The countries’ budgets are manageable compared to space heavyweights such as the USA and China.
