The year 2025 marked a significant period for global space exploration, characterized by expanding international cooperation, ambitious lunar and deep-space missions, and a growing number of nations contributing to humanity's reach beyond Earth. Sixty countries formally joined the U.S.-led Artemis Accords, a framework for peaceful space exploration, solidifying a broad alliance for future endeavors.^[1][2] Space agencies worldwide launched new satellites, initiated human spaceflight preparations, and targeted celestial bodies from the Moon to distant asteroids. ### Artemis Program Drives Lunar Cooperation NASA's Artemis program continued to be a central focus for international collaboration, aiming to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon. Key partners from Canada, Europe, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates are contributing vital elements to the Lunar Gateway, a planned outpost orbiting the Moon.^[3][4] For example, the Canadian Space Agency is providing the next-generation Canadarm3 robotic arm, while the European Space Agency (ESA) supplies propulsion and life support modules for the Orion spacecraft.^[3] The UAE's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre partnered with Thales Alenia Space to develop the Gateway's Crew and Science Airlock, a 15-year commitment paving the way for an Emirati astronaut to reach the Moon.^[5][6] As of October 2025, the Artemis Accords, which outline principles for responsible space exploration, had grown to include over 59 nations.^[7] This expansion underscored a collective commitment to transparent and peaceful activities in space.^[2] ### International Space Station Continues Legacy The International Space Station (ISS) celebrated 25 years of continuous human presence in November 2025, standing as a testament to multinational cooperation.^[8] The United States and Russia extended their agreement for joint astronaut flights through 2025, ensuring continued operational reliability for the orbiting laboratory.^[9] Astronauts from five main space agencies – NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – have worked together on the ISS, conducting thousands of experiments. The^[10][8]se scientific efforts have yielded advances in medicine, materials science, and climate research. The^[8] ISS also serves as a crucial testbed for technologies needed for future missions to the Moon and Mars. How^[10]ever, as the ISS approaches the end of its operational life, the landscape for low-Earth orbit habitation is beginning to shift towards commercially led stations. ## Asia's Growing Space Ambitions Asian nations significantly advanced their space programs and international partnerships in 2025. India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO) planned a record 10 orbital missions. Thi^[12]s included the NVS-02 navigation satellite and the G1 mission, the first uncrewed test flight for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. Ind^[12][13]ia also achieved a milestone in January 2025 by successfully demonstrating satellite docking in low-Earth orbit, becoming the fourth country to do so. A m^[14]ajor joint project, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Earth-observing mission, launched in July 2025 to scan Earth's land and ice with unprecedented detail. Ind^[14][15]ia and Japan are also collaborating on the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX), set to launch no earlier than 2025, to search for water at the Moon's south pole. Ch^[16]ina's space program also saw an intensive year of missions. The Tianwen-2 probe launched in May 2025 to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and study a comet. The^[17][15][18] Tiangong space station hosted the Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 crewed missions and received the Tianzhou-9 cargo craft. Chi^[19][18]na deepened its space cooperation with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, BRICS nations, and European partners, focusing on lunar and deep space exploration, including efforts to promote the International Lunar Research Station. Chi^[19][20]na also achieved a breakthrough in containerless laser heating technology on its space station, reaching 3,100 degrees Celsius under microgravity. Ja^[21]pan's space company ispace launched its Hakuto-R Mission 2, or Resilience, a robotic lunar lander, in January 2025. The^[22][23] mission aimed to deliver a micro-rover but unfortunately failed to land successfully on the Moon in June 2025. JAX^[23][24]A also continued its collaboration with ESA on the BepiColombo mission, which performed its sixth flyby of Mercury in January 2025. ## UAE Emerges as Key Player The United Arab Emirates further solidified its role in global space exploration. In early 2025, the UAE launched MBZ-Sat, a 700-kilogram Earth observation satellite. The^[25] UAE Space Agency also completed the Critical Design Review for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, a seven-year mission targeting seven asteroids. Pro^[5]gress continued on the Rashid 2 lunar rover, with environmental and mechanical testing completed in the UAE. Reg^[5][6]ional cooperation was boosted by the December launch of the "813" Arab Satellite, a UAE-led initiative to use space data for sustainable development across the Arab world. ## Global Dialogue and Future Outlook The Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2025) in New Delhi, India, in May 2025, gathered leaders and decision-makers from the global space community. The^[26][27] conference provided a forum to discuss recent results, challenges, and solutions, emphasizing how international cooperation can maximize the benefits of space exploration. The^[26] expansion of the Artemis Accords and the numerous bilateral and multilateral projects underscore a growing recognition that global collaboration is essential for humanity's ambitious future in space, from returning to the Moon to venturing towards Mars and beyond. ME^[7][10][28]TA_TITLE: 60 Nations Join Artemis Pact, Global Missions Soar in 2025

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