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Russian space program

A decade review (2000-2010)

Year by year:

• 2001
• 2003
• 2004
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011

2000

Zvezda launch

April: A privately-financed mission is launched to Mir.

May: The Shuttle crew (STS-101/2A.2a) delivers supplies, reboosts and repairs the International Space Station.

July 12: The Zvezda service module of the International Space Station reaches orbit.

August: The first Progress cargo ship arrives to the ISS.

August: The Shuttle crew (STS-106/2A.2b) delivers supplies, re-boosts and repairs the International Space Station.

October: The Shuttle (STS-92/3A) delivers a Z-1 truss, a set of gyrodines and the PMA-3 docking port to the ISS.

Oct. 31: The first resident crew of the International Space Station blasts off onboard the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft.

December: Shuttle (STS-97/4A) delivers a set of solar panels (PV Module P6) to the ISS.

A billionaire Jeff Bezos founds the Blue Origin company aimed to build a New Shepard vertical takeoff and landing spacecraft, capable of reaching the upper atmosphere.

2001

Jan 9: China launches the second prototype of the manned spacecraft, Shenzhou-2, conducting a successful eight-day mission without crew.

Feb. 7: The Shuttle Atlantis blasted off toward the ISS, carrying the Destiny lab module. The module was attached to the station three days later.

Feb. 12: At the end of its mission, the NASA's NEAR spacecraft touched down on the surface of the asteroid Eros, which the spacecraft was orbiting since previous year.

March 23: Mir space station is deorbited after 15 years in orbit.

April 7: Delta-2 rocket launches the Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

April 28: Dennis Tito, the first space tourist, blasts off toward the ISS onboard Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft.

March 1: NASA launched Space Shuttle Columbia to begin the STS-109 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope by adding new instruments and boosting it to a higher orbit.

April: During Space Shuttle's STS-110 mission to the ISS, NASA astronaut Jerry Ross logs record nine spacewalks after several missions with the total EVA time of 58 hours 18 minutes.

Oct. 30: Russia introduces the Soyuz TMA spacecraft, launching a taxi crew to the ISS, which included an ESA researcher from Belgium.

Dec. 29: China launches the fourth and last prototype of the manned spacecraft, Shenzhou-4, conducting a successful six-day mission without crew.

2003

Feb. 1: Shuttle Columbia disintegrates on reentry into the Earth atmosphere, killing seven crewmembers.

April: In the wake of the Columbia tragedy, Russia takes over the responsibility of rotating crews onboard the ISS, using Soyuz TMA spacecraft.

May 8: Japan's M-5 rocket launches MUSES-C (Hayabusa) spacecraft to return samples from asteroid 25143 Itokawa.

June 2: The Russian Soyuz FG/Fregat booster launched Mars Express probe, Europe's first spacecraft to explore the Red Planet.

June-July: NASA launched two rovers to Mars.

Aug. 23: Brazilian VLS-1 launch vehicle explodes on the launch pad, killing 21 people.

Oct. 15: China becomes the third nation to conduct manned space flight, launching the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft, with a 38-year-old Lt. Colonel Yang Liwei onboard.

November: The 6th launch of the Japan's H-2A booster, carrying two reconnaissance satellite, ended in failure, when one of two booster stages failed to separate around 10 minutes after the blastoff.

2004

Mars Exploration Rover

January: Japan's Nozomi spacecraft was to enter orbit around Mars. (The mission was abandoned in 2003, due to technical problems onboard the vehicle).

Jan. 2: The Stardust spacecraft flies by comet Wild 2, collecting samples.

Jan. 3: The Spirit rover (MER-A) lands on Mars.

Jan. 14: President George W. Bush announced a new space initiative, envisioning the return of American astronauts to the Moon.

Jan. 16: NASA cancels upgrade and servicing of Hubble Space Telescope (The decision later reversed).

Jan. 25: The MER-2 Opportunity rover lands on Mars.

February: Russia conducts a massive military exercise dubbed Security 2004.

March 2: Ariane-5G launches the Rosetta spacecraft toward Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet.

March 2: Members of the Mars Exploration Rovers' international science team announced that the outcrop near the site where Opportunity landed holds evidence that the rocks have spent time drenched in liquid water.

March 27: NASA's second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft flew successfully after being dropped in mid-air by NASA'a B-52 and boosted by Pegasus rocket. For the first time, an aircraft powered by an airbreathing scramjet has flown freely. The unpiloted vehicle's supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet, ignited as planned and operated for the duration of its hydrogen fuel supply, which lasted about 10 seconds. The X-43A reached its test speed of Mach 7.

July 1: The Cassini spacecraft entered orbit around Saturn.

Aug. 3: Delta II launched NASA Messenger spacecraft toward Mercury.

Nov. 16: NASA's X-43A scramjet-powered research vehicle reaches speeds of Mach 9.8, or 7,000 mph, as it flies at the altitude of about 33 kilometers, following a mid-air launch from B-52B aircraft onboard the Pegasus rocket booster. The mission concluded the program, discontinuing the development of scramjet technology at NASA.

Dec. 22: Boeing's Delta-4 Heavy rocket leaves its experimental payload on a lower than expected orbit during its first test mission from Cape Canaveral. Two university-built nanosats are lost in a mishap.

2005

Postcard from Titan

Jan. 12: Delta II launches Deep Impact probe toward Comet Tempel 1.

Jan. 14: The Huygens probe from the Cassini spacecraft successfully lands on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan and transmits imagery during the descent and from the surface.

July 4: NASA's Deep Impact 1 probe to approach Comet Tempel 1 and release the probe, which will impact the comet's core some 24 hours later.

July 26: US Space Shuttle resumed flights after the Columbia accident. The return to flight was expected on March 6, 2005, as of January - September 2004; on May 15, as of February 2005; on May 22, as of April 20, 2005; on July 13 (the earliest) as of April 29, 2005. The first launch attempt on July 13 was postponed because of problems related to a liquid hydrogen low-level fuel sensor inside the external fuel tank.

July: Japan's MUSES-C (Hayabusa) spacecraft to approach asteroid Itokawa.

July 29: NASA announced that a planet larger than Pluto has been discovered in the outlying regions of the solar system. It was discovered using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, Calif., by planetary scientist Dr. Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., whose research was partly funded by NASA. Astronomers Brown, Trujillo and Rabinowitz first photographed the new planet with the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope on October 31, 2003. However, the object was so far away that its motion was not detected until they reanalyzed the data in January 2005.

Aug. 12: After a two-day delay, NASA launched the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter.

Sept. 22: NASA unveiled launch vehicle and spacecraft architecture designed to establish a base on the Moon and support expeditions to Mars.

October: The SpaceShipOne rocket-powered plane conducted two flights to the altitude of 100-kilometers, winning a 10-million X-Prize for its creators.

Oct. 12-17: China launched a crew of two on a five-day Shenzhou-6 orbital mission. (Set in December 2004, originally expected in September)

Oct. 14: NASA announced it is unofficially targeting a May 3-23, 2006, period, as the next launch date for the Space Shuttle. As of Aug. 18, 2005, the return to flight was expected on March 4, 2006.

November: A Russian launcher to send ESA's Venus Express toward Venus.

November: Japan's MUSES-C (Hayabusa) spacecraft takes samples from asteroid Itokawa.

Dec. 6: NASA issued a solicitation for proposals to the private industry to deliver cargo to the ISS, after Shuttle retires in 2010.

Dec. 28: Soyuz rocket launched the first pair of experimental satellites for the European Galileo navigation network. (Set: March 3, 2004)

2006

SMART-1

Jan. 15: The Stardust spacecraft returns to Earth.

Jan. 19: The Atlas V launches the New Horizons spacecraft toward Pluto.

March 10: Mars Reconaissance Orbiter enters orbit around Mars.

July 4: Shuttle Discovery returns to flight, re-supplies the ISS, during STS-121 mission. (As of Oct. 14, 2005, the launch was targeted for May 3-23, 2006; Weather delayed mission from July 1 and 2).

Oct. 24: NASA's Messenger spacecraft to conduct the first flyby of Venus.

Sept. 3: ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter ends its mission with a preprogrammed crash into the surface of the Moon.

Nov. 13: The Goddard development vehicle the Blue Origin company climbs to the altitude of around 90 meters and lands softly after a 25 seconds in flight over test site in El Paso, Texas.

Dec. 27: Soyuz-2-1b vehicle with the new RD-0124 engine to fly its first test mission from Baikonur, launching the Corot satellite intended to detect planets outside the solar system.

2007

Japan's SELENE orbiter

Feb. 23: European Rosetta spacecraft to flyby Mars.

February: New Horizons spacecraft conducted a flyby of Jupiter.

June 6: NASA's Messenger spacecraft conducted its second flyby of Venus.

June: Japan's MUSES-C (Hayabusa) spacecraft to land in Woomera, Australia, with soil samples of an asteroid. (In 2005, delayed to June 2010)

Sept. 14: Japan's H-IIA launched the SELENE (Kaguya) orbiter toward the Moon. (Delayed from August 2007)

Sept. 27: NASA to launch Dawn spacecraft on a mission to visit two asteroids. (Delayed from June 2007)

Aug. 4: Delta 2 rocket launched NASA's Scout (Phoenix) mission to Mars.

Oct. 24: China launched lunar orbiting spacecraft Chang'e-1 to orbit the Moon for at least 12 months. (Set: February 2004, confirmed in 2005)

November: The European Rosetta spacecraft conducted second flyby of Earth.

Delayed from 2005:

Japan to launch Lunar-A orbiter with two penetrators to drill three meters into the lunar regolith. (In 2004, delayed from August 2004)

Iran to orbit a satellite with a domestically-built launch vehicle (Defense Minister statement in January 2004)

Delayed from 2006:

Brazil to conduct its fourth attempt to orbit its first satellite with a domestically built VLS vehicle from Alcantara launch site. (As of 2004)

2008

Chandrayaan-1

LRO

Jan. 14: NASA's Messenger probe conducts its first flyby of Mercury, nearly 33 years after the last spacecraft encountered the planet.

Second half of February: The European Ariane-5 rocket to launch the first ATV cargo ship to the ISS. (Delayed from 2004, January 2008)

March 12: Cassini encounters Saturn's Moon Enceladus for the last time during its nominal flight program.

May 25: NASA's Phoenix probe to land in polar regions of Mars. (Delayed from May 18)

India to launch a 590-kilogram Chandrayaan-1 lunar mapping satellite and a 20-kilogram impacter on the lunar surface. (Delayed from September 2007)

Sept. 10: NASA to launch the Space Shuttle Atlantis, whose crew is slated to service Hubble Space Telescope for the fourth and last time before the retirement of the instrument around 2013 (ESA announcement on June 8, 2007).

September: NASA to conduct the first test of the launch escape system for the Orion spacecraft, imitating the failure on the launch pad.

October: NASA's Messenger spacecraft to conduct its second flyby of Mercury.

Oct. 28: NASA to launch Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, LRO, and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, LCROSS, spacecraft into orbit around the Moon for at least a year-long mission. (2004; confirmed as of mid-2007)

The Shenzhou-7 crew to conduct China's first spacewalk. (Delayed from 2007)

Russian Zenit-2/Fregat-SB rocket to launch Spektr-UF ultra-violet observatory from Baikonur. (As of 2004)

Russian Zenit-2/Fregat-SB rocket to launch Spektr-Rentgen-Gamma X-Ray observatory from Baikonur. (As of 2004)

Delayed from the end of 2007: A Zenit-2/Fregat-SB rocket to launch the Spektr-R/Radioastron astrophysics observatory from Baikonur into a highly elliptical orbit with the apogee of 330,000 kliometers. (In 2004, the launch was expected in 2006)

2009

Kepler

February: NASA to launch the Kepler satellite designed to search Earth-size and smaller planets beyond the Solar System. (As of December 2007; delayed from fall 2008)

March: The Russian Soyuz-2 rocket to fly its first mission from Kourou, French Guiana. (In February 2006, the launch was expected in November 2008)

April: NASA to test fly a launch vehicle (Ares I-X) for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, (Orion) spacecraft on a ballistic trajectory. (As of June 2006, Oct. 2007, Jan. 2008)

September: NASA's Messenger spacecraft to conduct its third flyby of Mercury.

October: Russian Soyuz-2 rocket to launch the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft to study Mars and its Moon Phobos and return soil samples from Phobos to Earth. (As of 2004)

November: The European Rosetta spacecraft to flyby Earth for the third time.

NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, LCROSS, spacecraft to impact lunar surface in the effort to detect presence of water on the Moon.

NASA to launch Mars Smart Lander/Mobile Laboratory (on schedule as of April 2007).

NASA Space Shuttle to deliver Russian Power and Science Platform, NEP, to the ISS. (2004, later canceled)

2010

Soyuz ACTS

LISA spacecraft

June 30: (no later than): NASA to launch Juno mission to orbit Jupiter. (Before 2007, delayed to 2011)

June: Japan's MUSES-C (Hayabusa) spacecraft to land in Woomera, Australia, with soil samples of an asteroid. (As of April 2007)

July 30: NASA's Dawn spacecraft to enter orbit around asteroid Vesta. (Delayed to 2011, then posponed indefinitely in the fall of 2005 due to cost overruns)

August-September: Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft to enter orbit around Mars.

December: NASA to conduct the first J-2X engine test for Ares I and Ares V rockets at a just completed stand at the Stennis Space Center. (As of May 8, 2007)

US and UK to launch one of two Moon orbiters within Magnolia project. (As of August 2007; by the end of 2007 delayed till 2012)

NASA Space Shuttle to fly its last mission. (Date set on Jan. 14, 2004).

China to land an unmanned vehicle on the surface of the Moon (Date set on Feb. 25, 2004).

China to launch a hard X-ray modulation telescope to study black holes (according to a science development plan released in March 2007)

Chinese Shenzhou-10 crew to dock with orbital modules of the unmanned Shenzhou-8 and 9 spacecraft to form a space station.

US to test orbital missile interceptors (as of January 2004).

Delta IV rocket to launch a trio of Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, LISA, spacecraft to observe gravitational waves from binary stars both inside and beyond our galaxy, including gravitational waves generated in the vicinity of the very massive black holes. Spacecraft will form an equilateral triangle in orbit.

NASA to land a probe on the surface of the Moon. (In February 20004, the mission was described as a soil return from the polar regions of the Moon in 2009. At the end of 2004, it was delayed to 2010 and October 2005, it was classified as a lander. During 2007, under threat of cancellation)

Russian Proton rocket to launch FGB-2 multi-purpose module to the International Space Station, ISS. (As of 2006; in 2004, it was expected as early as 2007)

Russia to launch a modified Soyuz, capable of circumlunar missions. (An April 2007 RKK Energia estimate)

The Blue Origin company to start ferrying commercial passengers into the upper atmosphere onboard the New Shepard spacecraft. (Unofficial Reports based on FAA filings circa 2006)

Russia to launch the Luna-Glob spacecraft toward the Moon. (As of Nov. 2007; In 2006, the mission was not expected before 2012)

2011

Grail probe

March: NASA's Messenger spacecraft to enter orbit around Mercury.

April 1: NASA to launch JIMO spacecraft to orbit Jupiter and its satellites. (Effectively cancelled in 2005)

April: Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft to conduct landing and blast off from the surface of Phobos.

May: European Rosetta spacecraft to enter hibernation mode as it chases the comet.

July 3: NASA's Dawn spacecraft to leave orbit of Vesta and enter cruising trajectory toward asteroid Ceres.

Aug. 11-31: NASA to launch Juno mission to orbit Jupiter (As of 2007, delayed from 2010).

August: Russia's Phobos-Grunt to depart Martian orbit toward Earth.

China and France to launch Small Explorer for Solar Eruptions to observe solar maximum (according to a science development plan released in March 2007)

NASA to launch the OSIRIS mission to take samples of asteroid 1999 RQ36. (A 2006 proposal within Discovery Program)

India to launch a Chandrayaan-2 lunar probe toward the Moon, possibly carrying a 400-kilogram lunar rover built in Russia.

NASA to launch twin the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, Grail, spacecraft around the Moon to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail, possibly along with small lunar atmosphere research satellite. (as of December 2007)

June-July: Russia's Phobos-Grunt to return to Earth.

September: NASA to conduct a second test launch of a launch vehicle (Ares I) for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, (Orion) spacecraft. (As of June 2006)

China to send a rover on the surface of the Moon. (2004)

NASA to launch Space Technology 9 satellite to test new systems for future missions. (As of 2007)

Japan to send a lander on the surface of the Moon. (A Sept. 2007 statement by Manabu Kato, chief scientist of the Kaguya project)

Dec. 31: The last chance for a private company to claim a $20-million prize of the X-Prize Foundation for soft-landing a rover on the Moon, capable of moving and relying images to Earth. (Set in September 2007)

NASA to launch "human precursor missions" to Mars. (2004, later delayed?)

NASA to launch Soil Moisture Active-Passive remote-sensing satellite into the Earth orbit. (A 2009 budget proposal)

2013

OSIRIS probes asteroid

ESA Mars Rover

Long March 5

June (?): The Soyuz-2-1B rocket to launch European Space Agency's ExoMars rover mission from Kourou, French Guiana, to look for signs of life on Mars. (As of January 2007. In 2005, delayed from 2009 to 2011; In 2006 (?), delayed from 2011 to 2013)

August: A Russian Soyuz-2-1B (Soyuz-ST) rocket with the Fregat-M upper stage to launch the European BepiColombo probe toward Mercury from Kourou. (As of February 2006; previously planned for 2011 and 2012)

Oct. 17-18: NASA Juno spacecraft to flyby Earth on its way to Jupiter (As of 2007).

India to send an unmanned mission to Mars (a 2006 ISRO proposal)

NASA's OSIRIS mission to take samples of asteroid 1999 RQ36. (A 2006 proposal within Discovery Program)

German Space Agency, DLR, to launch a $658-million remote-sensing and cartography spacecraft into the lunar orbit. (The end of February 2007 DLR proposal to German government)

NASA to retire Hubble Space Telescope, HST.

NASA to launch James Web Space Telescope into the L2 lagrangian point between Earth and Sun. (as of April 2007)

China to test fly a Long March 5 (CZ-5) rocket, capable of delivering 25 tons to low-Earth orbit. It might be used to carry a space station around 2020. (A November 20, 2007, People's Daily report)

NASA to launch a Scout mission to study atmosphere of Mars. (In December 2007 delayed from 2011, due to "organizational conflict.")

UK to launch MoonLITE mission in cooperation with the US and, possibly, India, entering lunar orbit and firing four penetrators into the lunar surface at the speed of 300 meters per second. (As of February 2008. In December 2007, the mission was planned in 2012)

2014

James Webb Space Telescope

Early 2014: NASA to launch Joint Dark Energy Mission, JDEM, in cooperation with Department of Energy. (The 2009 budget proposal)

January: European Rosetta spacecraft to end its hibernation period, as it chases the comet.

Aug. 20: NASA's Dawn spacecraft to enter orbit around Ceres. (Delayed to 2015, then posponed indefinitely in the fall of 2005 due to cost overruns)

August: European Rosetta spacecraft to enter orbit around comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

November: The Rosetta spacecraft to drop Philae lander on the surface of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

NASA to launch a visible-light coronagraph to search for planets outside Solar System. (2004)

Dec. 31: The last chance for a private company to claim a $15-million prize of the X-Prize Foundation for soft-landing a rover on the Moon, capable of moving and relying images to Earth. (Set in September 2007)

NASA to send three small landers on the surface of the Moon. (The 2009 budget proposal)

2015

Orion CEV

New Horizons near Pluto

March: First manned launch of NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (into the low Earth orbit) (Date as of March 2007. From January 2004 to Aug. 30, 2006, the mission was expected as early as September 2014).

June: European ExoMars spacecraft to arrive to Mars (2005).

July 14: New Horizons spacecraft to flyby Pluto and its moon Charon.

July 26: End of primary mission for NASA's Dawn spacecraft. (Posponed indefinitely in the fall of 2005 due to cost overruns; then restarted)

December: The Rosetta spacecraft to end its mission as Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet flies past Jupiter.

NASA to launch a Solar Probe, which would fly closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft. (Funded as of 2008)

The earliest date for NASA to resume manned exploration of the Moon. (Date set on Jan. 14, 2004)

India to launch its first manned mission into the Earth orbit, carried by the launch vehicle derived from the GSLV rocket. (As of 2008)

Not before 2015: NASA to launch JIMO spacecraft to orbit three planet-sized moons of Jupiter -- Callisto, Ganymede and Europa. (In January 2005, the mission was cut from NASA's 2006 budget)

Around 2015: A "tugboat" spacecraft conceived by B612 Foundation to demonstrate the possibility of flying to a near-Earth asteroid, docking with it and gently altering its speed enough to change its orbit and avoid catastrophic collision with Earth. (As of 2005)

Russia to introduce Kliper spacecraft, replacing Soyuz (As of November 2004; deferred in June 2006. In February 2004, the first launch was expected as early as 2010; the program frozen in June 2006 and the first launch estimate postponed from 2012 to 2015. At the MAKS 2007 air and space show, the same date (2015) was quoted as the completion of development of the Advanced Crew Transporation System, ACTS).

NASA to launch ICESat 2 remote-sensing satellite into the Earth orbit to study rate of ice loss on Earth. (A 2009 budget proposal)

2016

Juno probe

Oct. 19: NASA Juno spacecraft to enter orbit around Jupiter (As of 2007).

NASA funding for the ISS program to end. (Set Jan. 14, 2004)

US and Europe to launch spacecraft to Jovian moon Europa. (Under consideration from March 2005)

NASA to launch nuclear-powered, ion-propelled spacecraft toward Neptune system. (A 2005 proposal within NASA Vision Mission)

Europe to launch a mission to return soil samples from Martian moon Phobos to Earth. (British and French proposals circa February 2007)

2017

SAFIR telescope

June 3: NASA to launch SAFIR, a supercooled far-infrared telescope. (Set: June 2004)

NASA "flagship mission" to be launched into the outer Solar System, possibly toward Jupter-Europa or Saturn-Titan systems. (The 2009 initial budget proposal)

China to return soil samples from the surface of the Moon and prepare for possible manned expedition. (Date announced in August 2005)

NASA's OSIRIS mission with samples of asteroid 1999 RQ36 to return to Earth. (A 2006 proposal within Discovery Program)

Australia to send a Sundiver spacecraft into the outer layers of the Sun's corona. (A 2007 proposal within the Decadal Plan for Space Science drafted for the national space science committee of the Australian Academy of Science).

2018

2016-2018: Russian Soyuz-2 rocket with Fregat upper stage to launch the Venera-D spacecraft toward Venus from Kourou. (As of 2007. In 2006 was targeted for 2016. In 2004 was targeted for 2013 with landing in 2014)

Japan to send a lander (with a soil sample return mission?) on the surface of the Moon. (A Sept. 2007 statement by Manabu Kato, chief scientist of the Kaguya project)

The European Space Agency to launch the Tandem mission to Saturn, Titan and Enceladus, and possibly delivering a baloon into the atmosphere of Titan. It competes with the Laplace mission, targeting Jupiter and Europa. (A 2007 proposal within Cosmic Vision study; the selection was expected in the Fall of 2008)

NASA to launch Mars Field Lab, Mars Telesat Orbiter and Mars Scouts probes (As of 2007)

2019

Orion above the Moon

August: The European BepiColombo probe to enter orbit around Mercury for a one- or two-year mission.

2017-2019: NASA and ESA to launch a precursor communications orbiter for the upcoming Mars soil sample return mission. (A proposal to be submitted to the EU Ministerial Council in November 2008).

2020

US returns to the Moon

The latest date for NASA to resume manned exploration of the Moon. (Set Jan. 14, 2004)

NASA to launch a formation-flying infrared interferometer to search for planets around other stars. (Delayed by the 2006 budget cut)

NASA's probe heading toward Neptune to flyby Jupiter. (A 2005 proposal within NASA Vision Mission)

Russia to launch a new-generation space station to replace ISS, into the polar orbit. (The statement of the Russian space agency head at the MAKS 2007 air and space show).

China to return soil samples from the surface of the Moon. (Set on Feb. 25, 2004)

China to launch a 20-ton manned space station into the Earth orbit with the Long March 5 rocket. (An unofficial Nov. 2007 statement quoted by China Daily newspaper, by Long Lehao, one of the leading designers of the Long March 3A rocket. The date was officially denied)

Tentative launch date for a US-European mission to return soil samples from the surface of Mars. (As of 2008. Before 2004, it was expected as early as 2013-2014. In March 2005, ESA and NASA considered such mission within the Aurora program as early as 2016)

2021

Mars Sample Return

After 2020: China to land humans on the surface of the Moon. (As of 2007)

NASA to launch spacecraft to explore Titan. (As of 2007)

2022

June 1: NASA to launch Venus Aeronomy mission. (As of 2007)

China to land a man on the Moon. (A June 19, 2006 quote from "top space official" in the Wen Wei Po newspaper)

2025

Russian lunar lander

April 1: NASA to launch Venus In-situ Explorer, VISE, within the New Frontier program. (As of 2007)

Russia to conduct its first manned lunar expedition. (The statement of the Russian space agency head at the MAKS 2007 air and space show).

July 15: NASA to launch the Comet Surface Sample Return, CSSR, mission within the New Frontier program. (As of 2007)

December: A NASA cargo lander is launched toward Mars to prepare for the manned expedition to the Red Planet in 2031. (A November 2007 projection by NASA's Robotic and Human Lunar Expeditions Strategic Roadmap Committee)

2029

January: A NASA habitation module is launched toward Mars to prepare for the manned expedition to the Red Planet in 2031. (A November 2007 projection by NASA's Robotic and Human Lunar Expeditions Strategic Roadmap Committee)

April 13: Asteroid 2004 MN4 to pass within 15,000-25,000 miles from Earth, the closest distance for a near-Earth orbit, as of 2004.

NASA spacecraft to release two probes into the atmosphere of Neptune. (A 2005 proposal within NASA Vision Mission)

2031

2037

NASA to land first humans on the surface of Mars. (A March 2007 estimate by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin)