THE NEW SPACE RACE: To the moon, an asteroid and beyond: The biggest space missions ahead in 2025.

All eyes will be on the moon once again in 2025.

Later this month, a SpaceX rocket is set to launch two new missions to the lunar surface. One is a lander called Blue Ghost, which was developed by Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace and aims to spend about two weeks collecting science data on the moon. The second is a privately built Japanese moon lander that houses an accompanying tiny rover.

Blue Ghost will attempt to touch down in a region of the moon known as Mare Crisium, which is thought to be the site of an ancient asteroid impact.

The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The space agency awarded contracts to three private companies, including Firefly Aerospace, to deliver science experiments, technology and other cargo to the lunar surface. The initiative is a component of NASA’s larger Artemis program, which aims to eventually return humans to the moon. The Blue Ghost mission is expected to carry 10 NASA science and technology experiments.

Riding the same rocket booster into orbit will be the Resilience lander and Tenacious “micro rover,” both developed by a Japanese company called ispace. They will take a longer, less energy-intensive path to the moon than Blue Ghost, aiming to land on the moon about four or five months after launch.

The targeted spot for touchdown is in the moon’s far north, in a region called Mare Frigoris.

That’s about it for anything Artemis-related this year, which is supposedly still on track for a manned landing in 2027. Godspeed, but even 2028 seems overly ambitious.