2020s in spaceflight
Orion visiting Deep Space Gateway.jpg
NASA plans to assemble a Lunar Gateway as a permanent base in lunar orbit during the 2020s.
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2020s

This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the 2020s.

Overview

The trend towards cost reduction in access to orbit is expected to continue. In 2022, SpaceX plans to launch its new fully reusable Starship to orbit[1] and Vulcan is planned to replace its more expensive predecessors. Ariane 6 is expected to replace the more expensive Ariane 5 in 2023, and Blue Origin plans to launch the maiden flight of New Glenn with a reusable first stage in early 2023.

Mars stays a focus for missions to other planets, with three missions launched in 2020 (by China, the United Arab Emirates and the United States) and at least two missions planned for 2024 (India and Japan).

In 2028, as part of the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return mission, NASA plans to launch a Sample Retrieval Lander. In 2027, ESA plans to launch the Earth Return Orbiter, which will transport the retrieved samples from Mars to Earth by 2033. China is also planning to retrieve samples from Mars by 2031.

NASA plans a return of humans to the Moon by 2025. The first uncrewed launch of the Space Launch System happened in 2022.[2] The first crewed launch is planned for 2024. In addition NASA plans to assemble the Lunar Gateway in lunar orbit. A crewed exploration of Mars could follow in the mid 2030s. An uncrewed and then a crewed trip to Jupiter and Europa have been commonly contemplated, but no space agencies or companies have yet announced definite plans to launch a crewed mission further than Mars. SpaceX, a private company, has also announced plans to land humans on Mars in the mid-2020s, with the long-term goal of enabling the colonization of Mars.

India plans to launch its first crewed flight with a spacecraft called Gaganyaan on a home-grown GSLV Mark III rocket in 2024. The mission would make India the fourth nation to launch a crewed spaceflight after Russia, the US and China. India also plans to launch its second Mars probe, Mars Orbiter Mission 2 (Mangalyaan 2), in 2024.

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021. NASA plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will have a field of view 100 times larger than that of the Hubble Space Telescope, between October 2026 and May 2027.[3][4][5]

NASA's NEO Surveyor, scheduled to launch no later than June 2028,[6] is expected to be capable of detecting at least 90% of near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters (460 ft), a goal mandated by the US Congress in 2005.[7]

The number of small satellites launched annually was expected to grow to around one thousand (2018 estimate),[8] although SpaceX alone plans to launch more than that for its Starlink constellation (12,000 satellites from 2019 to 2027).[9] The majority of the satellites are expected to be communication satellites in large constellations. In 2020, over 800 Starlink satellites were launched to orbit.

Orbital launches by year

2020–2027

Main article: 2020 in spaceflight

Main articles: 2021 in spaceflight, List of spaceflight launches in January–June 2021, and List of spaceflight launches in July–December 2021

Main articles: 2022 in spaceflight, List of spaceflight launches in January–June 2022, and List of spaceflight launches in July–December 2022

Main article: 2023 in spaceflight

Main article: 2024 in spaceflight

Main article: 2025 in spaceflight

Main article: 2026 in spaceflight

Main article: 2027 in spaceflight

2028

Date and time (UTC) Rocket Flight number Launch site LSP
Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat) 		Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks
Q1 (TBD)[10] TBA TBA TBA
United Arab Emirates Emirates Asteroid Mission UAESA Heliocentric Asteroid flyby and landing  
Q2 (TBD)[11][12] Europe Vega-C France Kourou ELV France Arianespace
Europe CRISTAL (Sentinel-9) ESA Low Earth (Polar) Earth observation  
Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme.
H1 2028 (TBD)[6] United States TBA United States TBA United States TBA
United States NEO Surveyor NASA Sun–Earth L1 Infrared astronomy
Near-Earth object detection		  
Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission (NEOSM).[13] Launch scheduled for no later than June 2028.
August (TBD)[14] TBA TBA TBA
Argentina SAOCOM-2A CONAE Low Earth (SSO) Earth observation  
November (TBD)[15][16] China Long March 3B China TBA China CASC
China Tianwen-3 lander CNSA TMI to Martian surface Mars sample-return    
China Tianwen-3 ascent vehicle CNSA TMI to Martian surface Mars sample-return    
Chinese Mars sample-return mission.
November (TBD)[15][16] China Long March 5 China Wenchang LC-1 China CASC
China Tianwen-3 orbiter CNSA Areocentric Mars sample-return    
China Tianwen-3 reentry capsule CNSA Areocentric Mars sample-return    
Chinese Mars sample-return mission.
Q4 (TBD)[11][17] Europe Vega-C France Kourou ELV France Arianespace
Europe CIMR A (Sentinel-11A) ESA Low Earth (SSO) Oceanography  
First of two satellites for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) mission. Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme.
Q4 (TBD)[11] Europe Vega-C[18] France Kourou ELV France Arianespace
Europe Sentinel-3D[19] ESA Low Earth (SSO) Earth observation  
Fourth Sentinel-3 satellite.
2028 (TBD)[20] Russia Angara A5 / KVTK[21] Russia Vostochny Site 1A Russia Roscosmos
Russia Luna 29 Roscosmos TLI to lunar surface Lunar rover
Lunar sample-return		  
2028 (TBD)[22][23] Europe Ariane 62 or Vega-C[24] France Kourou ELA-4 or ELV France Arianespace
Europe ROSE-L (Sentinel-12) ESA Low Earth (Polar) Earth observation  
Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme.
2028 (TBD)[25][26] Japan Epsilon Japan Uchinoura Japan JAXA
Japan JASMINE JAXA / NAOJ Low Earth (SSO) Astrometric observatory  
2028 (TBD)[27] Japan H3 Japan Tanegashima LA-Y2 Japan MHI
Japan LiteBIRD[28] JAXA Sun–Earth L2 Space observatory  
2028 (TBD)[29] China Long March 5 China Wenchang LC-1 China CASC
China Chang'e 8 CNSA Selenocentric to lunar surface Lunar lander
ISRU demonstration		  
2028 (TBD)[30][31] United States SLS Block 1B United States Kennedy LC-39B United States NASA
United States Artemis 5 NASA Selenocentric (NRHO) Crewed lunar landing  
Europe ESPRIT Refueling Module (ERM) ESA Selenocentric (NRHO) Lunar Gateway component  
United States Lunar Terrain Vehicle NASA Selenocentric to lunar surface Crewed lunar rover  
2028 (TBD)[32][33] Russia Yenisei Russia Vostochny PU3 Russia Roscosmos
Russia Orel Roscosmos Low Earth Flight test  
First flight of the Yenisei super heavy-lift launch vehicle.
2028 (TBD)[34][35] Russia TBA Kazakhstan Baikonur or Russia Vostochny Russia Roscosmos
Russia Ekspress-40 RSCC Geosynchronous Communications  
Replacement for Ekspress-AM7 at 40° East.
2028 (TBD)[36] United States TBA United States TBA United States TBA
United States WSF-M 2 U.S. Space Force Low Earth (SSO) Space weather  
2028 (TBD)[38] United States TBA United States TBA United States TBA
Europe TBA ESA TMI to Martian surface Mars lander  
Europe Rosalind Franklin ESA TMI to Martian surface Mars rover  
ExoMars mission. Delayed and retooled due to the suspension of ESA–Russia cooperation on ExoMars.[37]
2028 (TBD)[39] United States Commercial launch vehicle United States Cape Canaveral or Kennedy[40] United States TBA
United States Europe Sample Retrieval Lander NASA / ESA TMI to Martian surface Mars sample-return  
First lander component of the NASA–ESA Mars sample-return mission. It will carry NASA's Mars Ascent Vehicle and two sample recovery Ingenuity class helicopters.

2029

Date and time (UTC) Rocket Flight number Launch site LSP
Payload
(⚀ = CubeSat) 		Operator Orbit Function Decay (UTC) Outcome
Remarks
June (TBD)[42] United States TBA United States TBA United States TBA
United States DAVINCI+ NASA Cytherocentric Venus atmospheric probe  
NASA Discovery Program mission to Venus.[41]
2029 (TBD)[43][44] Europe Ariane 62 France Kourou ELA-4 France Arianespace
Europe ARIEL ESA Sun–Earth L2 Exoplanetary science  
Europe Japan Comet Interceptor ESA / JAXA Sun–Earth L2 Comet flyby  
2029 (TBD)[45] United States SLS Block 1B United States Kennedy LC-39B United States NASA
United States Artemis 6 NASA Selenocentric (NRHO) Crewed lunar landing  
United States Gateway Airlock Module NASA Selenocentric (NRHO) Lunar Gateway component  
2029 (TBD)[17] Europe Vega-C France Kourou ELV France Arianespace
Europe CHIME (Sentinel-10) ESA Low Earth (SSO) Earth observation  
Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme.
2029 (TBD)[17] Europe Vega-C France Kourou ELV France Arianespace
Europe LSTM (Sentinel-8) ESA Low Earth (SSO) Earth observation  
Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme.
2029 (TBD)[46] Russia Yenisei Russia Vostochny PU3 Russia Roscosmos
Russia Orel Roscosmos Lunar free-return Crewed lunar flyby  
Crewed lunar flyby in preparation for a Russian crewed mission to the lunar surface in 2030.
2029 (TBD)[34][35] Russia TBA Kazakhstan Baikonur or Russia Vostochny Russia Roscosmos
Russia Ekspress-36 RSCC Geosynchronous Communications  
Replacement for Ekspress-AMU1 at 36° East.
2029 (TBD)[47] TBA TBA TBA
Europe Harmony 1 ESA Low Earth (SSO) Earth observation  
Europe Harmony 2 ESA Low Earth (SSO) Earth observation  
Tenth Earth Explorers mission.
2029 (TBD)[48] United States TBA United States TBA United States TBA
United States Venus Atmosphere Sample Return Mission MIT Heliocentric to Venus Venus sample return  
Third of three MIT missions to Venus to study its atmosphere.


Deep-space rendezvous after 2027

Date (UTC) Spacecraft Event Remarks
18 April 2028 Lucy Flyby of asteroid 11351 Leucus Target altitude 1000 km
June 2028 Hayabusa2 Flyby of Earth[49] Gravity assist
11 November 2028 Lucy Flyby of asteroid 21900 Orus Target altitude 1000 km
21 April 2029 OSIRIS-APEX Rendezvous with asteroid 99942 Apophis[50] Observation operations begin 8 April


References

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  2. ^ "We Are Going: Artemis I Launches". NASA. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  3. ^ "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Roman Space Telescope". NASA (Press release). 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  4. ^ Foust, Jeff (30 September 2021). "Pandemic causes delay and cost increase for NASA's Roman Space Telescope". SpaceNews. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  5. ^ Foust, Jeff (20 May 2020). "NASA renames WFIRST space telescope after pioneering woman astronomer". SpaceNews. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (7 December 2022). "NASA confirms NEO Surveyor for 2028 launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  7. ^ "H.R. 1022 (109th): George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act - Original text". GovTrack. 27 June 2005. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Smallsat Growth On Shaky Foundations". Northern Sky Research. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
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  13. ^ Smith, Marcia (19 January 2020). "NASA's New NEO Mission Will Substantially Reduce Time to Find Hazardous Asteroids". Space Policy Online. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  14. ^ "CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MISSION SUMMARY - SAOCOM-2A". CEOS. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
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  41. ^ Potter, Sean (2 June 2021). "NASA Selects 2 Missions to Study 'Lost Habitable' World of Venus". NASA (Press release). Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  42. ^ Neal Jones, Nancy (2 June 2022). "NASA's DAVINCI Mission To Take the Plunge Through Massive Atmosphere of Venus". NASA. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
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  49. ^ "はやぶさ２、次のミッションは小惑星「１９９８ＫＹ２６」…ＪＡＸＡ". The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 13 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  50. ^ Lauretta, D. S.; Bierhaus, E. B.; Binzel, R. P.; Bos, B. J. (6 November 2020). OSIRIS-REx at Apophis: Opportunity for an Extended Mission (PDF). Apophis T–9 Years: Knowledge Opportunities for the Science of Planetary Defense.

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