Top 10 Space Missions to Watch 2020: SpaceX, Lunar Probe, Human Flight

A Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket carrying the Lomonosov, Aist-2D and SamSat-218 satellites takes off from the launch pad at the new Vostochny cosmodrome on the outskirts of the city of Uglegorsk, about 200 km from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the eastern Amur region in April. December 28, 2016. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP / Getty Images)

It’s hard to believe that we are almost three-quarters of the way to 2020, although it also seems that March never ended. Life on Earth has been disastrous this year, but if it’s any consolation, humans have made great progress in space, making 2020 one of the most fruitful years in history for the space industry.

Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has already successfully launched 16 missions, including its first crewed flight to the International Space Station, as well as 10 Starlink missions. NASA, as well as government-backed space efforts in China and Saudi Arabia, have launched their latest probes to Mars, increasing interplanetary life expectancies for when the next pandemic hits. And several international teams are testing new ways to explore the moon, including visiting its rear for the first time.

And there is much more to look forward to in the remaining three and a half months, from more Starlink launches to another mission manned by SpaceX and the first search for lunar samples in China. Below, we’ve compiled the top ten most exciting commercial and government space missions for the rest of 2020.

The 13, 14 and 15 Starlink missions: September and October

Over the next several weeks, SpaceX will launch three more Starlink missions, adding about 180 satellites that broadcast the Internet to a growing constellation of low-Earth orbit broadband services.

Mission V1.0 L12, Starlink’s 13th release is scheduled for September 17th. The V1.0 L13 is expected to take off later this month. And the L14 is scheduled for some time in October.

Northrop Grumman ISS Cargo Mission: September 29

On September 29, a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch a scientific payload mission to the International Space Station from the company’s launch site on Wallops Island, Virginia. The mission, known as NG-14, will be Northrop’s 14th operational cargo delivery to the ISS.

SpaceX Starthip SN8 test flight: October

SpaceX is set to test another prototype of its Mars colonizer spacecraft, Starship, in early October.

Previous prototypes, Starship SN5 and SN6, successfully performed 500-foot-high (150-meter) jumps on a test flight on September 3. The SN8 will fly much higher. in a cheep on Saturday, Musk said the SN8 will fly 60,000 feet (18.2 kilometers) above the ground and vice versa. It will also have a nose and lapels, a major design change from previous models.

Russian ISS mission with crew: October 14

The Russian government will send a group of astronauts to the ISS aboard a Soyuz rocket and a Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft combo. The MS-17 capsule will remain attached to the ISS for about six months, serving as a return vehicle for the astronauts when the mission concludes.

SpaceX’s second manned dragon mission: October 23

One week after the Russian flight, SpaceX will launch its second manned mission to the ISS using the Crew Dragon spacecraft. It will also be SpaceX’s first operational Crew Dragon flight after a historic human test in May.

NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, as well as Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi will board the spacecraft.