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5th January 2026

2026 – Hydrogen-based steelmaking reaches industrial scale

This year, steelmaking takes a major step toward decarbonisation, as the first industrial-scale hydrogen-powered plants enter operation and begin reducing the reliance on coal.

3rd January 2026

2036 – Contact with the Voyager probes is lost

[Moved from an earlier range of 2025–2028 to the more specific year 2036, based on NASA's updated estimate. As of 2026, the scientific measurements are winding down, as instruments are shut off to conserve power, but the probes' engineering and telemetry data are expected to continue transmitting well into the 2030s. See the updated reference for details.]

3rd January 2026

2026 – Europe's first successful vertical rocket launch into space

[Moved from 2025 to 2026.]

2nd January 2026

2027 – Direct flights from Sydney to London and New York

[Moved from 2025 to 2027.]

1st January 2026

Breakthrough in space-based manufacturing

British company Space Forge has reported a major milestone in orbital semiconductor production, potentially enabling materials with 4,000 times fewer defects than those made on Earth.

31st December 2025

2200-2225 – Humanity begins travelling between the stars

The first quarter of the 23rd century is marked by humanity's transition from interstellar probes to the earliest crewed journeys beyond the Solar System, driven by breakthroughs in antimatter propulsion.

27th December 2025

A new plant-based plastic that vanishes in seawater

Japanese researchers have created a tough, flexible plastic made from plant cellulose that breaks down quickly and safely in salt water. Unlike most "biodegradable" plastics, it leaves behind no microplastics.

25th December 2025

Merry Christmas and a happy 2026!

From the staff and contributors at Future Timeline.

23rd December 2025

2175 – Interstellar probes are now a routine part of scientific exploration

By the 2170s, antimatter is no longer just a catalyst in hybrid engines; it now powers the main propulsion stages of many space probes, enabling routine exploration of neighbouring star systems.

18th December 2025

Lemon-shaped planet found by Webb telescope

Astronomers report the discovery of a bizarre, pulsar-orbiting exoplanet with a lemon-like shape and an atmosphere unlike any seen before.

17th December 2025

New record for smallest fully autonomous robot

Researchers in the US have created the world's smallest fully programmable, autonomous robots, measuring just 200 x 300 x 50 micrometres.

12th December 2025

Somatic mutations may set a hard limit on human longevity

New research suggests that even if we cured almost every aspect of aging, humans might still struggle to live beyond about 150 years, due to the slow and unavoidable accumulation of random DNA errors in our cells.

10th December 2025

Stopping the swarm: Inside the global race to defeat drones

A guest blog by Richard Fox.

7th December 2025

2130 – Antimatter triggers a new era of space exploration

Industrial-scale, gram-level antimatter production is now enabling a revolution in hybrid space propulsion, as well as unlocking new capabilities in defence, energy transport, and high-energy research.

29th November 2025

LONGi sets new 33.4% solar efficiency record

A new flexible, ultrathin solar cell has achieved a world record efficiency of 33.4%, using a perovskite–silicon tandem.

24th November 2025

Breakthrough in antimatter production

Scientists at CERN have reported an eightfold increase in the rate of production of antimatter, achieved by cooling positrons to nearly absolute zero.

19th November 2025

Super-Earth in habitable zone found 18 light-years away

A newly found exoplanet is just 18 light-years away and orbits within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, making it one of the most exciting prospects in the search for life beyond Earth.

18th November 2025

Pomegranate-derived compound rejuvenates aging immune cells

Scientists in Germany report early clinical evidence that Urolithin A, a molecule produced in the gut after eating foods like pomegranates and walnuts, can revitalise key parts of the human immune system.

17th November 2025

2028 – 1.4 nm nodes begin mass production

[Updated with latest known info, and new references. The prediction year of 2028 remains unchanged.]

13th November 2025

Gene-editing therapy reduces cholesterol by 50%

In a Phase 1, first-in-human trial, a CRISPR gene therapy is found to be safe and able to reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol by nearly 50%, while triglycerides are reduced by 55%.

11th November 2025

Toyota reveals "Walk Me" walking chair

Toyota's new "Walk Me" robot aims to help those with disabilities navigate ramps and stairs using legs instead of wheels.

8th November 2025

Glacier retreat is fastest ever seen

Hektoria Glacier in Antarctica has undergone the fastest retreat of any land glacier on record, with nearly 50% collapsing in just two months.

5th November 2025

2037 – Launch of the European Athena X-ray observatory

[Updated and moved from 2028 to 2037.]

29th October 2025

2032 – Completion of the Australia-Asia Power Link

[Updated and moved from 2027 to 2032, based on current project schedule.]

27th October 2025

China unveils brain-like AI server that cuts power use by 90%

A refrigerator-sized computer unveiled in China could reshape how AI runs, offering supercomputer-level performance on a household power socket.

25th October 2025

Study casts doubt on polar geoengineering proposals

Five prominent geoengineering ideas are technologically unfeasible, unscalable, and environmentally harmful, according to a new study.

23rd October 2025

2032 – Opening of Poland's Central Communication Port

[Updated and moved from 2027 to 2032, based on current project schedule.]

22nd October 2025

2052 – Bionic eyes are perfected

[Updated and moved from 2048 to 2052, based on latest available data.]

22nd October 2025

Bionic eye pixel resolutions, 2000-2050

Originally published in 2019, this feature has been updated with more recent data from 2021 and 2023, revising the forecast for achieving human-eye resolution from 2048 to 2052.

15th October 2025

Closest alien civilisation could be 33,000 light years away

New modelling suggests that advanced life in the Milky Way galaxy is extremely rare – and that any surviving civilisations are likely to be far older than our own.

13th October 2025

AI-generated voices now indistinguishable from real human voices

A new study has revealed that the average listener can no longer distinguish between deepfake voices and those of real human beings.

10th October 2025

Figure 03: a next-generation humanoid robot

Figure 03, the latest humanoid from AI startup Figure, features major improvements in dexterity, perception and design, bringing robots closer to everyday use.

9th October 2025

2026 – Grand Theft Auto VI is launched

[Moved from 2025 to 2026, based on current release date.]

7th October 2025

New efficiency record for perovskite solar cell

Researchers have achieved a record-breaking 27.06% efficiency with a new triple-junction perovskite solar cell. This marks a significant advance towards low-cost, stable solar devices that capture more of the Sun's energy than silicon alone.

1st October 2025

2058 – ESA lands a probe on Enceladus

In 2058, a European probe achieves the first landing on Enceladus, directly sampling material from its icy crust and providing the strongest evidence yet of a habitable ocean world.

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