25 Space Events NASA Is Tracking Right Now
Space never sleeps — and neither does NASA. At any given moment, the agency is simultaneously launching spacecraft, steering rovers across alien worlds, monitoring the skies for incoming rocks, and preparing the next generation of deep-space explorers. The sheer scale of what’s happening above our heads right now is staggering.
Whether you’re a lifelong space enthusiast or someone who just wants to know what’s going on beyond Earth’s atmosphere, this list has you covered. From crewed Moon missions and interstellar comets to solar eclipses and a rotorcraft buzzing through Titan’s thick orange haze, these are the 25 space events NASA is tracking right now — and each one is worth your full attention.
The Artemis Program: Humanity’s Return to the Moon
1. Artemis II — First Crewed Flight Around the Moon
Artemis II is arguably NASA’s most anticipated near-term mission. It will send four astronauts — the first humans to fly the Orion spacecraft — on a loop around the Moon, targeted for late 2025. This isn’t a landing, but it’s the critical dress rehearsal that validates every system before boots hit lunar soil. Think of it as NASA’s moon-or-bust test drive.
2. Artemis III — First Human Lunar Landing Since Apollo
Scheduled for late 2026, Artemis III will deliver the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface, landing near the Moon’s South Pole. NASA has already selected SpaceX’s Starship as the Human Landing System. The South Pole target is deliberate — water ice in permanently shadowed craters could support long-term human habitation and fuel production.
Deep Space Missions Already En Route
3. Europa Clipper
Launched in October 2024, Europa Clipper is now cruising toward Jupiter’s moon Europa — a world believed to harbor a vast saltwater ocean beneath its icy crust. The spacecraft is slated to arrive in 2030 and will perform nearly 50 close flybys, probing Europa’s ice shell, ocean chemistry, and potential habitability. It’s one of the most compelling searches for extraterrestrial life ever mounted.
4. Psyche Mission
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft launched in October 2023 and is en route to 16 Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Expected to arrive in 2029, the mission will study what may be the exposed metallic core of a protoplanet — giving scientists a direct look at the kind of material that formed Earth’s own iron core.
5. Lucy Mission
Launched in October 2021, Lucy is on an ambitious 12-year mission to visit eight asteroids, including seven Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit. These ancient rocky bodies are considered fossils of the early solar system. Lucy’s extended itinerary makes it one of the most complex trajectory missions NASA has ever flown.
6. OSIRIS-APEX
After successfully delivering a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth in September 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft didn’t retire — it was renamed OSIRIS-APEX and redirected toward asteroid Apophis. It’s set to arrive in 2029, just as Apophis makes its remarkably close pass by Earth (within 20,000 miles). NASA will study how Earth’s gravity reshapes the asteroid’s surface in real time.
Upcoming Launches That Will Change the Science Landscape
7. Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Due to launch by May 2027, the Roman Space Telescope will capture infrared images 100 times wider than Hubble’s field of view. It’s designed to investigate dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanet atmospheres. For perspective: a single Roman image will contain as much data as roughly 100 Hubble images stitched together.
8. Dragonfly Mission to Titan
Saturn’s moon Titan has rivers of liquid methane, a thick nitrogen atmosphere, and complex organic chemistry that scientists suspect mirrors early Earth conditions. In 2028, NASA will launch Dragonfly — a nuclear-powered rotorcraft lander — to fly across Titan’s surface and directly sample its chemistry. No spacecraft has ever operated like this on another world.
9. DAVINCI Mission to Venus
DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) will send an instrumented probe descending through Venus’s crushing, superheated atmosphere. Planned for the late 2020s, it will directly sample Venus’s lower atmosphere for the first time, answering questions about whether Venus was once habitable and what caused its catastrophic greenhouse runaway.
10. VERITAS Mission to Venus
While DAVINCI plunges through Venus’s atmosphere, VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) will orbit above and produce the most detailed geological map of Venus ever made. Targeted for launch in 2031, it will help scientists understand why Venus and Earth — so similar in size and composition — evolved so differently.
11. Mars Sample Return
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been diligently caching Martian rock and soil samples since 2021. Mars Sample Return, a joint NASA-ESA initiative, aims to retrieve those samples and bring them to Earth for analysis. It represents the most scientifically ambitious return mission in history — the samples could contain evidence of ancient microbial life.
The 2025 Launch Surge: Seven New Missions Taking Flight
NASA’s 2025 manifest is packed. Here are six missions scheduled to launch this year that cover everything from the outer edges of our solar system to Earth’s own atmosphere.
12. SPHEREx
SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) will survey the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, creating the most detailed all-sky map of the universe’s molecular ingredients. It targets clues about what happened fractions of a second after the Big Bang and searches for water ice in the regions where new stars and planets are forming.
13. IMAP
IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) will park at the L1 Lagrange point — roughly 1 million miles from Earth — and study the heliosphere, the magnetic bubble our Sun generates that shields the solar system from interstellar radiation. It will map the boundary where solar wind collides with interstellar space, a region we’ve only glimpsed through Voyager 1 and 2.
14. PUNCH
The PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission deploys four small satellites working in concert to continuously image the solar wind flowing from the Sun’s corona out into the heliosphere. Better understanding of the solar wind means better space weather forecasting — critical for protecting satellites, power grids, and astronauts.
15. GDC
The Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) consists of six small satellites flying in formation to study Earth’s upper atmosphere — specifically the ionosphere-thermosphere system where space weather and terrestrial weather collide. This region, roughly 60 to 600 miles up, influences GPS accuracy and radio communications but has been poorly understood due to the difficulty of sustained observation.
16. GLIDE
GLIDE (Global-to-Regional In-situ atmospheric Data from the Exosphere) will study Earth’s exosphere, the outermost and most tenuous layer of the atmosphere, from roughly 400 miles altitude. It will provide the first comprehensive global picture of neutral density in this region — data critical for predicting satellite drag and orbital decay.
17. GUSTO
The GUSTO (Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory) is a balloon-borne observatory designed to fly over Antarctica for 100 to 170 days. It will map the Milky Way’s interstellar medium, measuring the emission of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen to understand the lifecycle of gas and dust that eventually collapses into new stars.
Ongoing Space Operations NASA Is Managing Right Now
18. James Webb Space Telescope
Operational since July 2022, JWST continues to rewrite our understanding of the cosmos week after week. It has captured the earliest galaxies ever observed, revealed atmospheric chemistry on exoplanets, and imaged star formation in unprecedented detail. NASA, ESA, and CSA manage JWST from the Space Telescope Science Institute, and it has enough onboard fuel to operate well into the 2040s.
19. Hubble Space Telescope
Now in its fourth decade, Hubble still produces world-class science. Operating since April 1990 and continuously crewed during five servicing missions, Hubble complements JWST by observing in ultraviolet and visible light. In 2024, NASA successfully transitioned Hubble to single-gyroscope mode to extend its operational life, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to preserving this irreplaceable instrument.
20. International Space Station Operations
The ISS has maintained continuous human habitation since November 2000 — over two decades of uninterrupted presence in low Earth orbit. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission, scheduled for late 2025, will deliver another team of astronauts to join ongoing research covering everything from cancer biology to materials science to Earth observation. ISS operations also include the Soyuz MS-29 crew transport mission and the JAXA HTV-X2 cargo delivery in 2025.
21. Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Missions
NASA isn’t going to the Moon alone. Under the CLPS program, the agency funds commercial companies to deliver scientific payloads — and eventually the VIPER ice-prospecting rover — to the lunar surface. Companies like Intuitive Machines (IM-3), Firefly Aerospace (Blue Ghost M1), and Astrobotic are all conducting missions in 2025, collectively scouting the Moon for resources and testing landing technology ahead of crewed Artemis missions.
Astronomical Phenomena NASA Is Tracking
Space science isn’t just about spacecraft. NASA actively monitors and studies natural celestial events — here are four significant ones on the calendar.
22. Total Lunar Eclipse — March 14, 2025
On March 14, 2025, the Moon passed completely into Earth’s shadow, turning a deep coppery red for observers across North America, South America, the Pacific, and parts of Europe and West Africa. NASA uses total lunar eclipses to study the Moon’s thermal properties — lunar surface temperatures drop sharply during totality, revealing information about rock composition and regolith depth.
23. Annular Solar Eclipse — September 21, 2025
On September 21, 2025, an annular solar eclipse — where the Moon is too far from Earth to completely block the Sun, leaving a brilliant “ring of fire” — will be visible from southern South America, Antarctica, and parts of Africa. NASA uses eclipse events to study the Sun’s corona and to test solar observation instruments under controlled conditions unavailable during normal daylight.
24. Perseid and Geminid Meteor Showers
NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office tracks meteor showers throughout the year, publishing annual forecasts for intensity and peak times. The Perseids peak around August 12–13, 2025, and can produce up to 100 meteors per hour under dark skies. The Geminids follow on December 13–14, consistently one of the year’s most active showers, occasionally producing fireballs bright enough to cast shadows. Both showers feed directly into NASA’s planetary defense data — understanding the size, speed, and composition of incoming particles informs asteroid threat assessment.
25. Interstellar Object Tracking — Comet 3I/ATLAS and Beyond
When a new interstellar object enters our solar system, NASA mobilizes fast. Comet 3I/ATLAS represents NASA’s growing capability to detect, track, and study interstellar visitors — objects originating from beyond our solar system entirely. Following the discoveries of 1I/’Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019, NASA has invested significantly in detection infrastructure. Scientists use a combination of ground-based observatories, JWST, and near-Earth object (NEO) tracking systems to analyze these rare intruders before they disappear back into interstellar space.
—
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for NASA to “track” a space event?
NASA’s tracking covers a wide spectrum. For missions, it means active command and control, data collection, and scientific analysis. For astronomical events like meteor showers or eclipses, it involves monitoring through ground and space-based observatories, publishing public guidance, and collecting scientific data. For future missions, it involves preparation, testing, and trajectory planning.
When is the Artemis II launch date?
Artemis II is currently targeted for late 2025, though specific launch windows are subject to change based on testing milestones. It will carry four astronauts on a translunar flight around the Moon without landing — the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
What is the CLPS program and why does it matter?
The Commercial Lunar Payload Services program contracts private companies to deliver science instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon’s surface. It’s NASA’s strategy for building a sustainable lunar economy by fostering commercial capability rather than building every lunar lander itself.
Is the James Webb Space Telescope replacing Hubble?
Not exactly. JWST observes primarily in infrared light, while Hubble excels in ultraviolet and visible wavelengths. They’re complementary tools. JWST sees further back in time and can peer through gas and dust clouds; Hubble continues to deliver valuable observations at wavelengths JWST doesn’t cover.
What is an interstellar comet and why does NASA care?
An interstellar object is one that originated outside our solar system and is passing through on a hyperbolic trajectory — meaning it will never be bound by the Sun’s gravity. These objects carry chemical and physical information about star systems light-years away. Studying them helps scientists understand whether planetary building blocks are universal across the galaxy.
How can I follow NASA’s upcoming launches and events?
NASA maintains an official events calendar at nasa.gov/events, and detailed launch schedules are regularly updated on sites like space.com/space-calendar and planetary.org. NASA also publishes eclipse guides, meteor shower forecasts, and mission updates through its official social media channels and the Eyes on the Solar System web app.
—
The Big Picture
The 25 space events NASA is tracking right now span an extraordinary range — from astronauts circling the Moon to microscopic organic chemistry on Titan, from a solar eclipse’s ring of fire to an interstellar comet making a one-time cameo in our solar neighborhood. What ties them all together is NASA’s relentless drive to push the boundaries of what humanity knows and where it can go.
If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: there has never been a more exciting time to be paying attention to space. The next few years will deliver firsts that previous generations only dreamed about — and if you stay curious, you won’t miss a single one.