Overview
Astronomy and astrophysics
On 11 January, NASA launched the Pandora small space telescope to study exoplanet atmospheres. [1] [2] The same Falcon 9 flight also carried two CubeSat-type space telescopes by NASA: SPARCS and BlackCAT, alongside other payloads. [3] [4] [5] [6]
In April or March, ESA and CAS plan to launch their joint heliophysics mission SMILE. [7]
In mid-2026, ESA plans to launch the CubeSpec satellite for testing a low-cost small satellite platform for long-term spectroscopic monitoring of stars from space on the specific case of asteroseismology of massive stars. [8]
In mid-2026, NASA plans to launch the SunRISE mission consisting of six CubeSats for studying solar activity. [9] [10]
In mid-2026, NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is planned to be boosted to a higher orbit by a private Arizona-based firm, Katalyst Space Technologies. [11] Katalyst Space announced that they would utilize a spacecraft launched on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL aircraft-borne rocket. [12]
In August, NASA plans to launch the small UV telescope Aspera designed to map hot gas in the circumgalactic and intergalactic medium of nearby galaxies. [13]
In September, NASA plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, an infrared space telescope for cosmology and search for exoplanets. [14]
In December 2026 or January 2027, ESA plans to launch the PLATO space telescope for discovery and characterization of exoplanets. [15]
China plans to launch Xuntian, a large space telescope that will co-orbit with the Tiangong space station, in late 2026 [16] or in 2027. [17] [18]
Human spaceflight
On 8 January, one of Crew-11 astronauts on the ISS suffered a serious medical issue. In response, NASA called off a spacewalk that was under preparation at that time and later decided to return the entire Crew-11 mission back to Earth earlier than planned in a "controlled medical evacuation". This marks the first time in U.S. history, as well as in the ISS program, that a space mission has been cut short due to a medical issue, [38] [39] although such cases happened before during Soviet space station missions. [40] [41] [42] [43] The Crew Dragon Endeavour with all 4 crew members of Crew-11 safely splashed down off California coast on 15 January. [44] [45]
NASA plans to launch the Artemis 2 mission on the Space Launch System sending astronauts around the Moon on a ten-day lunar flyby in early February 2026, the first crewed lunar flyby since the Apollo program. [46]
NASA and Boeing plan to launch the uncrewed ISS cargo mission Starliner-1, the fourth orbital flight of the Starliner spacecraft, no earlier than April 2026. [47]
The American company Vast plans to launch the first ever commercial space station (Haven-1) in 2026. [48]
ISRO aims to launch Gaganyaan-1, India's first uncrewed orbital test flight to support human exploration missions in late March 2026. [49]
China plans to launch Mengzhou 1, the first uncrewed orbital flight of the new Mengzhou spacecraft and the new CZ-10 rocket, both intended for the country's crewed lunar program. [50] [51] [52]
In late 2026, NASA and Sierra Space plan to launch Dream Chaser Demo-1, the first free flyer orbital demonstration flight of the uncrewed cargo spaceplane Dream Chaser. [53]
China plans to launch the new cargo spacecraft Qingzhou on its first flight to the Tiangong space station. [54] [55]
Rocket innovation
SpaceX plans to continue testing the Starship system, with Flight 12 expected in late January. [56]
ESA plans first test flights of the Themis reusable rocket demonstrator in early 2026. [57] [58]
