2026 in spaceflight

Last updated

2026 in spaceflight
Artemis 2 map march 2023.jpg
The Artemis 2 mission is scheduled to carry four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon in 2026.
Crewed flights
Orbital0
Orbital travellers0
Suborbital0
Suborbital travellers0
Total travellers0
EVAs 0
2026 in spaceflight
←  2025
2027  →

This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the year 2026.

Contents

Overview

Astronomy and astrophysics

In April or March, ESA and CAS plan to launch their joint heliophysics mission SMILE. [1]

In December, ESA plans to launch the PLATO space telescope for discovery and characterization of exoplanets. [2]

China plans to launch Xuntian, a large space telescope that will co-orbit with the Tiangong space station, in 2026. [3]

Solar system exploration

The year 2026 is expected to bring humanity's first close-up views of two Solar system objects, the near-Earth asteroids Kamoʻoalewa (Tianwen-2 orbit insertion in June) and Torifune (Hayabusa2 flyby in July). [4] [5]

ESA's Hera spacecraft is expected to arrive at the double asteroid Didymos in November. [6]

The joint ESA-JAXA mission BepiColombo is expected to enter orbit around Mercury in late 2026. [7] [8]

ESA plans to launch its first stand-alone deep space CubeSat, the space weather mission HENON, in late 2026. [9]

Lunar exploration

ESA plans to launch the Lunar communication satellite Lunar Pathfinder together with the private mission Blue Ghost M2 by Firefly Aerospace in July. [10] [11]

China plans to launch Chang'e 7 to explore the lunar south pole in late 2026. [12] The mission will include an orbiter, a relay satellite, a lander, a rover, and a mini-flying probe. [13]

Human spaceflight

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 such lunar flyby since the Apollo program. [14]

The American company Vast plans to launch the first ever commercial space station (Haven-1) in 2026. [15]

Rocket innovation

SpaceX plans to continue testing the Starship system, with Flight 12 expected in late January. [16]

ESA plans first test flights of the Themis reusable rocket demonstrator in early 2026. [17]

Satellite technology

ESA plans to launch the first satellites of the GNSS augmentation constellation Celeste (LEO-PNT) on a Rocket Lab's Electron rocket in early 2026. [18]

ESA plans to launch the Earth observation satellites FLEX (for monitoring terrestrial vegetation by measuring chlorophyll fluorescence) and ALTIUS (for monitoring stratospheric ozone) on a single flight of the Vega C rocket. [19]

The UK Space Agency plans to launch the first satellite of the ESA-supported Atlantic Constellation for Earth observation. [20]

Orbital launches

Numbers of orbital launches
MonthTotalSuccessesFailuresPartial failures
January 0000
February 0000
March 0000
April 0000
May 0000
June 0000
July 0000
August 0000
September 0000
October 0000
November 0000
December 0000
Total0000

Deep-space rendezvous

Date (UTC)SpacecraftEventRemarks
May Psyche Flyby of Mars [21]
7 June Tianwen-2 469219 Kamoʻoalewa orbital insertion [22]
4 July Tianwen-2 Rendezvous with 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and sample collection [22]
5 July Hayabusa2 Flyby of 98943 Torifune [23]
29 September JUICE Second gravity assist at Earth
November BepiColombo Hermocentric orbit insertion at Mercury
3 December Europa Clipper Gravity assist at Earth
24 December Solar Orbiter Fifth gravity assist at Venus This flyby of Venus will increase the inclination of the spacecraft's orbit further to 24 degrees, and will mark the start of the ‘high-latitude’ mission.
28 December Hera Arrival at binary asteroid 65803 Didymos

Extravehicular activities (EVAs)

Start date/timeDurationEnd timeSpacecraftCrewRemarks

Orbital launch statistics

By country

For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of orbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. For example, Soyuz launches by Arianespace in Kourou are counted under Russia because Soyuz-2 is a Russian rocket.


CountryLaunchesSuccessesFailuresPartial
failures
World0000

By rocket

0
0
0
0
0
0
ILV
R-7

By family

FamilyCountryLaunchesSuccessesFailuresPartial failuresRemarks
Alpha Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
Angara Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 0000
Ariane Flag of France.svg  France 0000
Atlas Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
Ceres Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
Electron Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
Eris Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 0000
Falcon Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
Gravity Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
H-series Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 0000
HANBIT-Nano Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 0000
Hyperbola Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
ILV Flag of India.svg  India 0000
Jielong Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
Kinetica Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
Kuaizhou Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
Long March Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
Minotaur Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
New Glenn Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
Nuri Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 0000
R-7 Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 0000
RFA One Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 0000
Shavit Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 0000
Spectrum Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 0000
Starship Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
Vega Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 0000
Vulcan Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 0000
Zhuque Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 0000
Zuljanah Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 0000

By type

RocketCountryFamilyLaunchesSuccessesFailuresPartial failuresRemarks

By configuration

RocketCountryTypeLaunchesSuccessesFailuresPartial failuresRemarks

By spaceport

SiteCountryLaunchesSuccessesFailuresPartial failuresRemarks

By orbit

Orbital regimeLaunchesAchievedNot achievedAccidentally
achieved		Remarks
Transatmospheric0000
Low Earth 0000
Geosynchronous / transfer 0000
Medium Earth 0000
High Earth 0000
Heliocentric orbit 0000Including planetary transfer orbits

Suborbital launch statistics

By country

For the purposes of this section, the yearly tally of suborbital launches by country assigns each flight to the country of origin of the rocket, not to the launch services provider or the spaceport. Flights intended to fly below 80 km (50 mi) are omitted. This includes suborbital flights for all purposes, including scientific and military application.

CountryLaunchesSuccessesFailuresPartial
failures
World0000


Expected maiden flights

RocketOriginOrganizationReusableLaunchOutcomeRef.
Vikram-1 Flag of India.svg India Skyroot Aerospace N/aJan 2026TBD
HLVM3 Flag of India.svg India ISRO N/aJan 2026TBD
Ceres-2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Galactic Energy N/aJanuaryTBD [24]
Irtysh Flag of Russia.svg Russia TsSKB Progress N/aMarchTBD [25]
Agnibaan Flag of India.svg India AgniKul Cosmos First stageQ1 2026TBD [26]
Kinetica 2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China CAS Space First stageQ1TBD [27]
Tianlong-3 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Space Pioneer First stageQ1TBD [28]
H3-30S Flag of Japan.svg Japan JAXA and MHI N/aQ2 2026TBD [29]
Miura 5 Flag of Spain.svg Spain PLD Space First StageEarly 2026TBD
Nova Flag of the United States.svg USA Stoke Space FullyEarly 2026TBD [30]
Nebula-1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Deep Blue Aerospace First stageEarly 2026TBD [31]
Neutron Flag of the United States.svg USA Rocket Lab First StageMid 2026TBD [32]
Eclipse Flag of the United States.svg USA Firefly Aerospace First StageSecond half of 2026TBD
Daytona I Flag of the United States.svg USA Phantom Space Corporation NoLate 2026TBD [33]
Pallas-2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Galactic Energy First StageLate 2026TBD [34]
Antares 330 Flag of the United States.svg USA Northrop Grumman NoLate 2026TBD
Yuanxingzhe-1Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Space Epoch First stageLate 2026TBD [35]
Long March 10A Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China CASC First Stage2026TBD
Terran R Flag of the United States.svg USA Relativity Space First Stage2026TBD
Skyrora XL Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Skyrora No2026TBD
Prime Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Orbex First Stage2026TBD
Starship Block 3 Flag of the United States.svg USA SpaceX Fully2026TBD
Ariane 64 Flag of France.svg France ArianeGroup No2026TBD [36]
Epsilon S Flag of Japan.svg Japan JAXA No2026TBD [37]
Maia Flag of France.svg France MaiaSpace (ArianeGroup)First stage2026TBD [38]
Hyperbola-3 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China i-Space First stage2026TBD [39] [40]
RFA One Flag of Germany.svg Germany Rocket Factory Augsburg First stage2026TBD [41]
Pallas-1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Galactic Energy First stage2026TBD [42]

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Smile approved for launch in spring 2026". www.esa.int. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    2. ↑ "Planet hunter Plato to fly on Ariane 6". www.esa.int. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    3. ↑ "China's giant Xuntian space telescope faces further delay until late 2026". South China Morning Post. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
    4. ↑ "China Launches Tianwen-2 Asteroid Sample-Return Mission" . Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    5. ↑ "Flyby of asteroid Torifune on July 5, 2026 | ISAS". www.isas.jaxa.jp. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    6. ↑ "ESA's Hera targets early arrival at Didymos asteroids". www.esa.int. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    7. ↑ "BepiColombo mission will start to unpick Mercury's secrets in 2026". New Scientist. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    8. ↑ "BepiColombo | CNES". cnes.fr. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    9. ↑ "ESA's first stand-alone Deep Space CubeSat signs new phase". www.esa.int. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    10. ↑ "Blue Ghost Mission 2 Gets Stacked at JPL". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Archived from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    11. ↑ Dickinson, David (29 December 2025). "Spaceflight for Astronomy — A Look Back and Ahead". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    12. ↑ Jones, Andrew (19 September 2022). "UAE rover to fly on China's Chang'e-7 lunar south pole mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 19 September 2022.
    13. ↑ Jones, Andrew (29 March 2022). "Next China moon mission will need precision landing to target ice at south pole". Space.com . Retrieved 8 April 2022.
    14. ↑ Berger, Eric (23 September 2025). "NASA targeting early February for Artemis II mission to the Moon". Ars Technica. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
    15. ↑ Foust, Jeff (6 February 2025). "Vast begins Haven-1 testing and reschedules its launch". Space News. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
    16. ↑ "The Starbase team plans to have the next Super Heavy booster stacked in December, which puts it on pace with the test schedule planned for the first Starship V3 vehicle and associated ground systems. Starship's twelfth flight test remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026" . Retrieved 23 December 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    17. ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (6 June 2025). "First Themis Test Flight Likely to Slip to 2026". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    18. ↑ "European satellite navigation opens new chapter at ESA's Ministerial Council". www.esa.int. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    19. ↑ Evolution, Satellite (11 January 2022). "Arianespace to launch with Vega C Flex & Altius, two ESA programmes at the service of environment". Satellite Evolution. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    20. ↑ "Atlantic Constellation Pathfinder Satellite Mission Summary | CEOS Database". database.eohandbook.com. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
    21. ↑ "Psyche - Mission". JPL. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
    22. 1 2 "@AJ_FI". X. 11 April 2025.
    23. ↑ "Flyby of asteroid Torifune on July 5, 2026". ISAS/JAXA. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
    24. ↑ "Galactic Energy/Demo Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
    25. ↑ "Roscosmos/Demo Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
    26. ↑ "Mission". Agnikul Cosmos. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
    27. ↑ "CAS Space/Demo Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
    28. ↑ "Space Pioneer/Demo Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
    29. ↑ "MHI/H3-30 Test Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
    30. ↑ "From Mercury to Nova: Launching the Future at Space Launch Complex 14". Stoke Space. 28 July 2025. operational by early 2026
    31. ↑ 火星宏观 (25 December 2025). "12月第二次可重复使用火箭回收失败，火箭回收的作业不好抄？" (in Chinese).
    32. ↑ Eric Berger (11 November 2025). "Neutron rocket's debut slips into mid-2026 as company seeks success from the start". arstechnica.com. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
    33. ↑ Gorman, Douglas (17 April 2025). "Phantom Space and Ubotica Team Up to Bring AI to Orbit". Payload. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
    34. ↑ Andrew Jones (22 August 2025). "New rocket plans continue to emerge to support China's growing space ambitions". SpaceNews. late 2026 for the launch of the larger Pallas-2
    35. ↑ "对标国际一流水平！"天龙三号"预计今年底首飞！". Haiyang Today (in Chinese). 12 October 2025.
    36. ↑ Andrew Parsonson (19 October 2025). "Arianespace Pushes First Ariane 64 Flight Back to 2026". European Spaceflight.
    37. ↑ "Rocket Lab: Why The Neutron Could See More Demand Than You Think". Seeking Alpha. 23 October 2025. Epsilon S, now targeting 2026
    38. ↑ "MaiaSpace at WSBW 2025". MaiaSpace. 26 September 2025. 2026 when our first launch will occur
    39. ↑ Stephen Clark (2 December 2025). "This Chinese company could become the country's first to land a reusable rocket". Ars Technica. Hyperbola-3 that could debut next year
    40. ↑ "iSpace/Demo Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
    41. ↑ "RFA/Demo Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
    42. ↑ "Galactic Energy/Demo Flight". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
    Generic references:

    RocketSunIcon.svg Spaceflightportal
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.