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Here’s How to Watch Every Major US Space Launch Scheduled in 2025

Want to keep your eye on the sky in 2025? Here’s a look at the best space launches you can watch from the comfort of home.

Space agencies from around the world launched a total of 244 successful missions into orbit or space in 2024, which is the most in history. The US led the way with over half of those launches. Dozens of space launches are already planned for 2025.

Feel like watching a liftoff? Many of them will likely be streamed by NASA or from the YouTube channels of individual companies like SpaceX. Space launches are finicky, and the dates often change with little warning. But if you’re looking to keep an eye on the sky in 2025, the list below should help.

January

Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission 1 & Hakuto-R M2 Resilience

Launch date: Launched successfully on Jan. 15
Organization: 
SpaceX / NASA / Firefly Aerospace
Launch site: Kennedy Space Center, FL
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5

This uncrewed mission, which launched on Jan. 15, will carry Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander to the moon, along with a payload of 10 NASA instruments designed to measure various metrics on the lunar surface, including position and navigation data, regolith behavior and Earth’s magnetosphere.

New Glenn’s Inaugural Launch

Launch date: Launched successfully on Jan. 16
Organization:
Blue Origin / NASA
Rocket: Blue Origin New Glenn
Launch site: Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL

Blue Origin’s first test flight of its New Glenn rocket was originally scheduled for Jan. 13. However, a vehicle subsystem issue sprung up that would’ve taken too long to troubleshoot on the launch pad, so Blue Origin rescheduled the launch, and it successfully reached orbit on Jan. 16. In addition to the inaugural launch, the payload included Blue Ring Pathfinder, which was set to demonstrate its ability to communicate from orbit to ground.

Read more: New Glenn Rocket Launch Marks a Big Moment for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin

February

Lunar Trailblazer & Nova-C IM-2

Launch date: Successfully launched on Feb. 27
Organization: SpaceX / NASA / Intuitive Machines
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Kennedy Space Center, FL

The Lunar Trailblazer and Nova-C IM-2 mission lifted off successfully on Feb. 27. While the Nova-C IM-2 part of the mission is still going okay, the Lunar Trailblazer lost communications with NASA and is currently lost in space. The mission’s success will depend entirely on if NASA can reestablish contact, which the agency is still trying to do.

This mission will take the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander to the moon for its second mission. The trip also includes NASA’s PRIME-1 payload, which will be drilling into the moon and using a mass spectrometer to analyze materials beneath the surface.

SPHEREx & PUNCH

Launch date:  Launched successfully on March 11
Organization: 
SpaceX / NASA
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Vandenberg SFB, CA

SpaceX and NASA originally planned to launch the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions in the last week of February 2025, but were delayed until the second week of March

SpaceX sent its Falcon 9 rocket into orbit with NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH. SPHEREx is a two-year mission that will launch a satellite capable of detecting near-infrared light and optical light to gather data. PUNCH is four suitcase-sized satellites that will monitor the Sun’s corona to detect coronal mass ejections to eventually be able to predict when they’ll happen.

March

Crew-10

Launch date: Successfully launched on March 14
Organization: SpaceX / NASA / ROSCOSMOS / JAXA
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

A crewed flight to the International Space Station successfully launched on March 14, bearing American astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Russian astronaut Kirill Peskov and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi. Once they arrive at the ISS, Crew-9, along with Starliner astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, will make its way back to Earth. Williams and Wilmore made near-constant headlines since their June trip to the ISS stretched from the expected eight days to more than eight months, but with Crew-10 on its way, they should be home soon.

Read more: NASA Crew-10 Astronauts Launch to ISS on SpaceX Rocket

Project Kuiper (Vulcan #1 and Vulcan #2)

Launch date: TBA
Organization: United Launch Alliance / Kuiper Systems (Amazon)
Rocket: Vulcan VC6L and Atlas V 551
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

The first two Project Kuiper launches are scheduled for March 2025. Kuiper Systems is a subsidiary of Amazon and plans to launch a total of 3,276 satellites into orbit for broadband internet access to compete with the likes of SpaceX. There will be a number of these going up throughout 2025 and beyond, but this project is slated to start in March 2025. 

Blue Moon Pathfinder

Launch date: TBA 
Organization: Blue Origin
Rocket: 
Blue Origin New Glenn
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

Blue Origin will finally begin testing on its Blue Moon Pathfinder MK1 lunar lander. It isn’t going to the moon yet, but Blue Origin launches always get plenty of press before they go up. Eventually, Blue Origin wants to use the Pathfinder to take supplies to the moon.

Fram2

Exact date: TBA
Organization: 
SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

The Fram2 mission is a crewed mission that will take five passengers around Earth’s polar caps. Over the five-day mission, the crew will conduct the first-ever human x-ray while in space along with more research on how spaceflight affects the human body. They will also study STEVE, or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, which is a ribbon of hot gases that light up the night sky similar to aurora borealis. The crew will consist of Chun Wang, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Eric Philips and Rabea Rogge.

April

Axiom Space Mission 4

Exact date: TBA
Organization: SpaceX / Axiom Space
Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

The Axiom Space Mission 4 will send four people to the International Space Station where they’ll stay for a little over a week. The crew includes retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu. 

May

EWS OD-1

Exact date: TBA
Organization: 
Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Rocket: Minotaur IV
Launch site: Vandenberg SFB, CA

The EWS OD-1 mission will deploy the Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System into low Earth orbit as a tech demonstration, allowing various branches of the US military to evaluate its performance as a weather satellite for the Department of Defense.

June

USSF-106

Exact date: TBA
Organization: United Launch Alliance
Rocket: Vulcan VC4S
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

This is a mission for the United States Space Force. It’ll deploy the NTS-3 navigation satellite along with NASA’s SunRISE mini-satellites, which will study solar activity. Other payloads are planned for this launch but haven’t been announced yet. 

EscaPADE

Exact date: TBA
Organization: Blue Origin / NASA
Rocket: New Glenn
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) mission is a joint venture between Blue Origin and NASA that will send science tools to Mars to study our red neighbor. The instruments will study the solar wind energy transfer through Mars’ magnetosphere. It’s one of Blue Origin’s biggest launches of the year.

July

Crew-11

Exact date: TBA
Organization: SpaceX / NASA
Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

The Crew-11 flight will take four more astronauts to the ISS in July 2025. For now, the exact launch date hasn’t been set in stone and neither has the crew. However, it’ll be just like the Crew-10 launch, where four astronauts will go to the ISS to conduct study and relieve the prior crew. 

September

STP-S29A

Exact date: TBA
Organization: 
Northrop Grumman Space Systems / US Department of Defense
Rocket: Minotaur IV
Launch site: Vandenberg SFB, CA

STP-S29A is a fairly large mission from the US Department of Defense that’ll see Northrop Grumman launch several technology demonstrations into low Earth orbit. Included in the payload are 200 kilograms worth of CubeSats — very small satellites — for testing purposes. In addition, the STPSat-7 will also be deployed, which will track and catalog orbital debris.

September

IMAP

Exact date: TBA
Organization: SpaceX / NASA
Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL

The IMAP mission is a joint venture between SpaceX and NASA that’ll see the deployment of the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, yet another instrument to measure how solar winds affect things in and around Earth. The probe houses 10 instruments that take various measurements. In addition, the mission will house a small lunar orbiter called Lunar Trailblazer, a solar sail called Solar Cruiser and a weather satellite to study ultraviolet emissions in the Earth’s exosphere. 

October

TSIS-2

Exact date: TBA
Organization: SpaceX / NASA
Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site: Cape Canaveral, FL

The Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor 2 is a probe from NASA that’ll measure the Sun’s energy input into Earth through solar irradiance measurements. This data will be added to the decades of other Sun-related data that NASA has to better understand just how much energy strikes Earth from the Sun. The TSIS-1 is aboard the ISS and measures similar criteria from there.

Technologies

7 Things Wuchang Fallen Feathers Doesn’t Tell You

If you’re having a tough time with Wuchang, we have some tips to help.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers isn’t a revolutionary Soulslike title that aims to change the subgenre, but it’s catching the attention of many players right now, in part because it’s available on day 1 on Xbox Game Pass. Wuchang, however, does have some issues with underexplaining certain mechanics, which is giving players a little trouble. 

Wuchang makes some changes to the Soulslike formula established by FromSoftware, the developers of Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls. Those changes aren’t laid out so clearly, and unfortunately that adds a layer of difficulty to the game that doesn’t need to be there. 

If you’re struggling with Wuchang, here are some tips to help you beat the game. 

Get the Sword Counter 

An easy tip to start with is a better explanation of the Sword Counter. It’s available in the Impetus Repository (the leveling-up grid), at a shrine, and it doesn’t take many levels to unlock. The Sword Counter is the game’s equivalent of the parry found in other FromSoftware games. It looks like a standard block, but if you time it right, you’ll parry the attack and receive no damage. 

But that’s not all. Next to the Sword Counter node on the grid are two variants that are also worth getting. By unlocking all three, when enemies attack you, you can deflect their attacks and knock them to the ground to sneak in extra hits. 

Something to keep in mind is that the Sword Counter can only deflect weapon attacks, so enemy punches or kicks can’t be parried. Also, with bosses, your deflects may only give you a window to get a free hit or two, but they have greater value in raising the bosses’ Obliterate meter, which is a circle that increases after successive attacks. Fill this up, and the boss will be staggered, which will allow for a critical attack to deal big damage. 

Unlocking the upgrades for your weapons

Along with the improved attacks, new weapon abilities, and stat increases, the Impetus Repository (the game’s name for its skill tree) has nodes to improve a weapon class. You need to unlock the node first and then acquire feathers to upgrade the weapon. The upgrade for a weapon class affects all weapons, so improving longswords by +3 means every longsword in the game will also be +3. 

You’ll need specific items for these upgrades, which are usually found on tougher enemies with red eyes and can sometimes be purchased from the merchants. There are Faint, Brilliant and Radiant Red Feathers needed for upgrades, with Radiant ones being the best of the three. 

Respec all the time

One useful mechanic in Wuchang is the option to respec, or reallocate your upgrades, at any time. If you feel like you’re a little weak or there’s something you haven’t tried yet, make sure to respec — don’t worry, it’s free and can be repeated indefinitely. 

On the Impetus Repository, there’s the option to undo an upgrade to just one node, or you can do it for an entire path. If a weapon like the axe has been doing well against bosses but there’s one boss who’s just too fast to land any attacks, then it’s time to respec and try another weapon. There’s no shame in doing so. And who knows? The new weapon might end up being your favorite. 

Wear the right equipment

Like in any Souslike, there are different status effects that build up over time, such as Burn or Blight, this game’s name for poison. Enemies in certain areas will focus on different status effects with their attacks, like how enemies in colder climates can cause Frostbite buildup. There are consumable items you can use to remove the effect or stop the buildup, but in the case of status effects like Despair and Corruption, if your armor resistance isn’t high enough, you can get killed almost immediately from the effect. If you find that happening (and you can tell it happens due to the status effect icon in the middle of the screen), then consider changing your equipment to better resist the status effects you’re running into. 

Armor in Wuchang is very situation-based. Some will offer a lot of slash and stab protection, which is great for bosses with swords or spears, but it may offer no protection against Blight, which means you can be poisoned very quickly. In general, armor that’s the best to protect against physical attacks is horrible for status effects, hence you can die almost instantly in certain areas. If you notice that happening, make sure to switch up your armor for the right occasion. 

Explore, explore, explore 

Like any good Soulslike with quality level design, like Wuchang, there are different paths available and some are easy to overlook. So many side paths in Wuchang seemingly lead to dead ends, but you’d be surprised how many will lead to entirely new areas. Not only can you find powerful items and weapons, but there are entire sections of a map with their own bosses you might have skipped. I missed out on multiple locations as I rushed through the game on my first runs through levels. If you’re having trouble with a boss, spend some time to backtrack a bit and explore every nook and cranny in an area. 

Another point to keep an eye out for is the teleport option at the Shrine. If there’s an NPC you should talk to, there will be a small face next to the location listing. These NPCs can give you items or help out with a boss fight, but some won’t be right next to the shrine. In general, places you come across with no enemies and something like a fire tend to be locations where an NPC will eventually appear. 

Just die if you’re mad 

Probably the most interesting mechanic in Wuchang is the Madness effect, which increases global damage that you deal and get dealt in return. Madness can increase or decrease, depending on what enemies you kill, but it increases significantly after dying. Once Wuchang’s madness reaches above 90%, the next time she dies, an orb that lies where the death happened will manifest into an Inner Demon, and if it kills you or is defeated, the Madness meter goes back to zero. This is very interesting for longtime Souls players because it acts as a punishment for players that can easily be overcome, and in a way, helps get the frustration out for dying. 

There is, however, a problem. If you die at the hands of a boss over and over again, the orb will be inside the boss arena and the Inner Demon won’t spawn. The result is that Madness, which if above 90% will increase the damage of your attacks while also increasing the damage you take, won’t go down. You can try to defeat some enemies to lower it, or make a donation to the statue at the Shu Sanctum, but the Madness meter will still shoot up if you die. 

If this happens to you, then you need to bite the bullet and just die somewhere else, ideally right near the shrine. When you respawn, you can head to the orb, take down the Inner Demon, and you’ll be back to zero Madness. 

Don’t forget to emote

Across the game, there will be certain shiny spots that aren’t signs. It could be a statue, an urn, or a grave marker. Inspect these locations and a message will pop up with a few words in blue. Those words can be «Pay your respect» or «Tai chi.» 

When you come across these spots, pull up the pose, or emotes, menu. You’ll see multiple poses, such as worship, examine and a very obvious one, Tai Chi. Assuming the pose at the specific location will unlock a clue about Wuchang’s past, or give up an item. 

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles for $50. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the game as part of their subscription. 

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Technologies

Wuchang’s Commander Honglan Is a Nightmare. Here’s How to Beat Her

Don’t get discouraged by this tough boss fight — follow these tips to win.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is one of the best Soulslike games released this year. It’s also one of the cruelest, as players will be having a fun time with the game only to be smacked hard in the face by a punishing boss — in my case, it was the formidable  Commander Honglan who stopped me in my tracks.

Located at the Lotus Pond at the Place, Commander Honglan is Wuchang’s first real challenge and an obvious skill check by developer Leenzee Games. It’s evident that to proceed, players need to get to a certain skill level when fighting her, and if not, they’ll be in a lot of trouble, slamming themselves against this wall of a boss until they find a way forward. 

Here are some tips on how to defeat Commander Honglan in Wuchang. 

Make sure you’ve leveled up enough

First off, make sure you’re at the appropriate level to fight Commander Honglan. Yes, you can fight practically every boss at level 1 if you want to, but leave that to speedrunners. Ideally, you should have five Manna Vase charges so you have enough healing. Also, your weapons should be upgraded to plus-3 to be doing enough damage. 

You should also consider unlocking the Rapid Temperance node and either the Blight, Corruption or Poise Break Bone Needles, which she’s weak to. Blight and Corruption will slowly deplete her health, while Poise Break will cause a big chunk of damage when it builds up to 100%.

Try a different weapon 

I get it — up to now, you’ve probably used the axe or the war staff to run over enemies. Just forget about using the slow weapons on her. She’s just too tough. Your best bet is to switch up to the longsword because…

Counter, counter, counter

The Sword Counter is an unlockable ability in the longsword path of Wuchang’s skill tree, and it’s necessary for this fight. There’s even a message before jumping into the Lotus Pond mentioning deflecting attacks, which is the game’s version of parrying — but it’s not clear you need this specific skill unlocked to parry. 

With the Sword Counter, you’ll be able to deflect her sword attacks if you’ve timed it right. The window isn’t as tight as might be expected from a Souls game, so as long as you hit the Sword Counter button as soon as an attack starts, you’ll be able to deflect. If you unlock the variant nodes connected to Sword Counter, you’ll be able to land two free hits after the deflect. Take advantage of this because the parry as well as the attacks will contribute to Honglan’s Obliterate meter, allowing you to make a critical hit. 

Bring an extra heal or two

Nothing’s more frustrating than being one hit away from defeating a boss only to be out of health flasks. Make sure to bring in one extra consumable healing item equipped in a quick access slot, such as a Steamed Bunny Bun, Soulgrass or Cornucopia Elixir. Keep in mind, these items won’t auto-replenish, so use them as a last resort when you’re a hit or two away from taking her down. 

Prepare your equipment before jumping in

To get an advantage at the beginning of the fight, consider using some items at the start. You can use Temperance to start with an attack buff on your weapon, Lantern Fruit to reduce stamina costs for your dodges, and Soft Rush to increase your stamina recovery. 

Prepare your armor and equipment before heading into the fight, too. You should have two pendants to reduce the damage you receive and one pendant to increase your stamina recovery. Also, your armor should be focused on slash, stab and blunt resistance: her sword attacks impart slash and stab damage, and her kicks deal blunt. 

Buy the ward from the Panda

Outside the Shu Sanctum is a path that leads to a Panda. This bear is a merchant who wants only bamboo shoots. You can acquire these shoots from Bamboozlings, the little green creatures that quickly run away when you’re near. Attacking one of these creatures will drop a Bamboo Shoot for special items. 

One of those items is the Divine Ward spell. This will reduce the physical damage you receive, and because you’ll be dodging many of Honglan’s attacks, you’ll have plenty of Skyborn Might points available. Use this spell whenever you have a quick second to cast it because it’ll help in the fight. 

Watch her moves 

When fighting Honglan, here are the moves to focus on. 

Lunge attack: This is the first move she makes in the fight, and it’s easily counterable. Remember, after the deflect, just hit her for two attacks and don’t get greedy, or else you’ll run smack into her foot, which can’t be parried. 

Punch and kicks: Honglan has multiple martial arts attacks, including a big overhead stomp. Don’t try to counter these attacks or even be within arm’s length, because you’ll get hit. Just keep dodging. 

Dagger throw: If you’re far away, Honglan will throw out multiple daggers. These are easy to block or dodge. 

Wind slash: In the second phase of the fight, Honglan will proceed to attack with wind slashes that are either vertical or horizontal. It takes a little bit of practice, but the vertical ones are easily dodgeable — just move right or left. The horizontal slash, however, is tricky with the timing. You either need to dodge twice to the left or right, or dodge forward. Don’t try to dodge back. 

Quick lunge: Honglan has another very quick dash attack. Better to dodge than try to counter, because it’s so fast. 

Spinning sword attacks: She’ll also use two different spin attacks at different times. Though the first hit can be deflected, the follow-ups can’t, so it’s better to just dodge this attack. 

Leap attack: The attack where Honglan is the most open is the leap attack. She’ll jump in the air and come down with a powerful twin sword attack. Luckily, it’s easy to dodge. Time your dodge so you can avoid the attack, and then dash-run into her to make follow-up attacks. 

Commander Hoglan’s fighting in Wuchang can seem impossible at first, but with these tips, you can be successful. 

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is out now for $50 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the game as part of their subscription. 

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Technologies

Physical SIM Card vs. eSIM: What Sets Them Apart and Which Should You Choose?

These two ways of connecting your phone to a cellular network are very different. We tell you about each and how you can switch from one to another.

For many years, mobile phones received cellular service through a physical SIM (subscriber identity module) card that connected your handset to your phone carrier. These physical SIM cards made it easy to swap your phone or carrier whenever you’re getting a new device or you’re traveling. Nowadays, however, most modern phones also support eSIMs. As the name indicates, eSIMs are embedded directly into the phone and the carrier information is programmed remotely via software.

Whether you choose a physical SIM or an eSIM depends on several factors, so we’ve outlined a few commonly asked questions below. 

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What do physical SIMs and eSIMs do?

A physical SIM card is essentially a tiny card with a chip that connects your phone to your wireless carrier. It contains identifying information like your account info and phone number. Without it, your phone won’t have a number or any way to connect to a carrier and you won’t be able to make or receive calls and text messages. 

Some phones allow you to remove the physical SIM card, which allows you to easily swap phones or carriers. This is useful if you want to use your existing number in another phone, or if you want to use your phone with another carrier. Just insert a different SIM card and you can connect to a different cell network. For years, some phones supported having dual SIM cards. You might have your home number on one and your work number on the other.

An eSIM, however, is embedded directly into the phone’s circuitry and cannot be ejected or removed. Instead, all the carrier information is programmed remotely via an app. The biggest advantage of eSIMs is that it allows one phone to have multiple lines even from different carriers. This is especially useful when traveling, as you can add a global eSIM provider without having to purchase and wait in line for a physical SIM when you arrive at your destination. For more on eSIMs, you can check out our explainer here. You can also move your service from one phone to another without needing to dig out a SIM ejector tool but you might need to call your wireless service provider for assistance.

Can I have an eSIM and a physical SIM?

Yes, many phones allow you to have an eSIM and a physical SIM simultaneously, even from different carriers. You can use both simultaneously, or you can designate one as active while the other is on standby. Some people designate one number for work while the other is for personal use. 

How do I switch phones with a physical SIM or an eSIM?

To switch phones with a physical SIM, all you have to do is eject it from your existing phone and then insert it into a new one. This typically works regardless of the phone you are switching between, allowing you to move your service from an iPhone to Android phone at will.

With an eSIM, your carrier can either transfer the number over for you or you can do it yourself through your phone’s settings. Your carrier will often send detailed instructions on how to do so. Typically it’s easy to transfer your eSIM when moving to a phone of the same operating system, for instance moving from an iPhone 14 to an iPhone 16 where both are on iOS or from a Samsung Galaxy S21 to an S25 because both use Android. If you are switching between iOS and Android, you’ll likely need to call your provider for assistance.

Converting an existing physical SIM card to an eSIM is fairly easy too, although it sometimes requires more steps. You can check out our guide on how to do so here or you can refer to your carrier for more specific instructions. 

Do any phones require eSIM?

Yes, some phones are eSIM-only and therefore require eSIM. iPhone 14 models and newer are eSIM-only in the US, meaning they lack a physical SIM card slot. Most Android phones include a physical SIM slot and support for eSIM.

Do all phones accept eSIM?

Most modern iOS and Android phones accept eSIM, such as the newer iPhones, the Pixel 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 and newer. Simpler phones, however, like HMD’s Barbie Phone and the minimalist Light Phone do not. For those phones, you’ll want a physical SIM card. 

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