This article lists orbital and suborbital launches during the first quarter of the year 2026.
For all other spaceflight activities, see 2026 in spaceflight. For launches during the rest of 2026, see List of spaceflight launches in April–June 2026, List of spaceflight launches in July–September 2026, and List of spaceflight launches in October–December 2026.
| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | |||
| Remarks | ||||||||
January | ||||||||
| 5 January [1] | | | | |||||
| | NASA | Low Earth (SSO) | Visible Astronomy | |||||
| January (TBD) [2] [3] [4] [5] | | N1 | | | ||||
| | ISRO | Low Earth (SSO) | Oceanography | |||||
| | ISRO/Mauritius | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| First fully privately built PSLV. | ||||||||
| January (TBD) [7] [8] | | G1 | | | ||||
| | ISRO | Low Earth | Flight test | |||||
| Maiden Flight of HLVM 3, Human rated Version of LVM3. First Gaganyaan flight test. First orbital flight of the Gaganyaan spacecraft and First flight of the LVM3 with an escape tower. | ||||||||
| January (TBD) [9] [10] | | NG-3 | | | ||||
| | Blue Origin | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar lander Technology demonstration | |||||
| Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1 (MK1-SN001), expected to launch between January and December 2026. | ||||||||
| January (TBD) [11] | | F17 | | | ||||
| | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Navigation | |||||
| Next generation NaVic satellite. | ||||||||
February | ||||||||
| 1 February 07:30 [12] | | F9 | | | ||||
| | CAO | GTO to Geosynchronous | Navigation | |||||
| QZS-7 carries a USSF SĀCHI Space Situational Awareness payload. Quasi-geostationary (slight incline and eccentricity) orbit. | ||||||||
| 5 February 01:09:00 [13] | | | | |||||
| | NASA | Lunar free-return | Crewed lunar flyby | |||||
| ⚀ | DLR | Heliocentric | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | KARI | Heliocentric | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | SSA | Heliocentric | Space Weather | |||||
| ⚀ | CONAE | TBA | TBA | |||||
| First crewed test flight of SLS and Orion. | ||||||||
| 15 February [14] | | | | |||||
| | NASA | Low Earth (ISS) | Expedition 74 / 75 | |||||
| Twelfth operational Crew Dragon mission to the ISS. | ||||||||
| February (TBD) [15] | | | | |||||
| | United States Space Force | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| | TBA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| | TBA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| | Texas A&M University | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| | TBA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| | Auburn University | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| | TBA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | SOCOM | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | |||||
| ⚀ | University of Georgia,Athens | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | |||||
| ⚀ | NMSU | Low Earth | Ionospheric Research | |||||
| STP-S29A mission. | ||||||||
| February (TBD) [16] | | | | |||||
| ▫ | Catalyx Space | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | |||||
| Maiden flight of Vikram 1. | ||||||||
| February (TBD) [18] | | | | |||||
| | NOAA | Low Earth | Meteorology | |||||
| First satellite in NOAA's Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) Program. | ||||||||
March | ||||||||
| 25 March [19] | | | | |||||
| | Roscosmos | Low Earth (ISS) | ISS logistics | |||||
| March (TBD) [20] | | | | |||||
| | Eta Space | Low Earth (SSO) | Propellant depot Technology demonstration | |||||
| March (TBD) [21] [22] | | | | |||||
| | Momentus Space | Low Earth (SSO) | Space Tug | |||||
| | Argo Space | Low Earth (SSO) | Space Tug | |||||
| | Galaxeye | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| | PhilSA / UP Diliman / DOST-ASTI | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| | K2 Space | Low Earth (SSO) | Space Tug | |||||
| | Lumir1 | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Care Weather | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | NASA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | University of Colorado Boulder | Low Earth | Magnetospheric research | |||||
| ⚀ | NASA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | NASA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Kuva Space | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | HANCOM | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to sun-synchronous orbit, designated Transporter-16. | ||||||||
| March (TBD) [24] [25] | | | | |||||
| | U.S. Space Force | Geosynchronous | Early warning | |||||
| USSF-57 mission. [26] First satellite of the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent InfraRed (NG-OPIR) constellation, follow-up of SBIRS. | ||||||||
| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | |||
| Remarks | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [27] | | | | |||||
| | Roscosmos | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| | Roscosmos | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| | Roscosmos | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| | Roscosmos | Low Earth (SSO) | IoT | |||||
| | ISA | Low Earth (SSO) | Reconnaissance | |||||
| | IUST | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Sputnix | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| ⚀ | MTUCI/Orbital Space/Sputnix | Low Earth (SSO) | Educational/Amateur Radio | |||||
| ⚀ | Samara University | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | IKI RAN | Low Earth (SSO) | Technology demonstration | |||||
| ⚀ | SPbPU | Low Earth (SSO) | Remote sensing | |||||
| ⚀ | Sitronics Group | Low Earth (SSO) | AIS ship tracking | |||||
| ⚀ | Sitronics Group | Low Earth (SSO) | Technology demonstration | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | UNN, Lobachevsky University | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | BMSTU | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | MIET | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Sputnix | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | STC | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | KNRTU-KAI | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | ||||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Sakha Science Academy/Sputnix | Low Earth (SSO) | Educational/Amateur Radio | |||||
| ⚀ | TBA | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| GK Launch Services Rideshare Mission. Marafon-D are demonstrator satellite for the Sfera constellation. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [32] | | "Kakushin Rising" | | | ||||
| ⚀ | Nagoya University | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | National Institute of Technology, Yonago College | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Future Science Institute | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Aoyama Gakuin University | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Waseda University | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Di-Nikko Engineering Co., Ltd. | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Tokyo Institute of Technology | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| ⚀ | Nihon University | Low Earth (SSO) | TBA | |||||
| Part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-4 mission. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [33] | | | | |||||
| | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Technology demonstration | |||||
| Q1 (TBD) [34] | | F18 | | | ||||
| | ISRO | Geosynchronous | Earth observation | |||||
| Q1 (TBD) [35] | | | | |||||
| | Rocket Lab | Low Earth | Flight test | |||||
| Maiden flight of Neutron, lifting off from Launch Complex 3 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. [36] | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [37] | | | | |||||
| | KARI | Low Earth (SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
| The launch of this mission was originally planned with Roscosmos' Angara 1.2 rocket, but the South Korean Ministry of Science cancelled this contract due to sanctions against Russia and signed a launch contract with Arianespace. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [39] | | | | |||||
| | Northrop Grumman / DARPA | Geosynchronous | Satellite servicing | |||||
| | Northrop Grumman | Geosynchronous | Satellite servicing | |||||
| The Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) will carry DARPA's Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Spacecraft (RSGS) Robotic Payload. [40] It will install three propulsion jet packs, referred to as Mission Extension Pods (MEP), on satellites that are nearing the end of their operational lifespans. Two of the three MEPs will be installed on Optus D3 and an Intelsat satellite. [41] | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [42] [25] | | V-004 | | | ||||
| | U.S. Space Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | |||||
| First GPS mission on Vulcan Centaur. Named after NASA astronaut Ellison Onizuka. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [43] | | V-005 | | | ||||
| | USSF | Geosynchronous | Space surveillance | |||||
| | USSF | Geosynchronous | Space surveillance | |||||
| | USSF | Geosynchronous | TBA | |||||
| USSF-87 Mission. It will launch two identical Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness satellites, GSSAP-7 and 8, directly to a geosynchronous orbit. SunRISE is a NASA Explorers Program Mission of Opportunity. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [46] [47] | | | | |||||
| | USSF/Northrop Grumman | Geosynchronous | Communications/Technology demonstration | |||||
| First WGS launch on Vulcan. On-orbit demonstration mission for the U.S. Space Force's Protected Tactical Satcom (PTS) program. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [46] | | | | |||||
| | United States Space Force | Geosynchronous | Technology demonstration | |||||
| | USSF | TBA | TBA | |||||
| USSF-43 Mission. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [49] [ citation needed ] | | V-012/Cert-3/LV-01/Kuiper-4 | | | ||||
| | Amazon Leo | Low Earth | Communications | |||||
| Maiden flight of Vulcan Centaur VC6L Configuration. First launch of the LEO optimized Centaur V upper stage. The launch will also serve as a certification flight for this new configuration for the USSF. First of 38 Vulcan Centaur launches for Amazon's Amazon Leo. Mission Designated "Vulcan Leo Mission #1 (LV-01)" | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [50] | | KV-02 | | | ||||
| | Amazon Leo | Low Earth | Communications | |||||
| Second of 38 Vulcan Centaur launches for Amazon's Amazon Leo. Mission Designated "Vulcan Leo Mission #2 (KV-02)" | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [51] | | VA267 | | | ||||
| | Amazon Leo | Low Earth | Communications | |||||
| Maiden flight of Ariane 6 in A64 Configuration and First of 18 Ariane 6 launches for Amazon's Amazon Leo. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [52] [53] | | Flight 13 | | | ||||
| | SpaceX | Low Earth | Communications | |||||
| Thirteenth Starship flight test. Flight 13 is expected to be the first orbital flight of Starship, as well as the first to target a tower catch of the upper stage. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [54] | | | | |||||
| | PLD Space | Low Earth | Flight test | |||||
| First flight of Miura 5. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [55] | | | | |||||
| | TBA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
| Q1 (TBD) [56] | | F6 | | | ||||
| | JAXA | Low Earth to Suborbital | Launch vehicle evaluation | |||||
| | Tokyo Institute of Technology | Low Earth | Earth observation Astronomy | |||||
| | Shizuoka University | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | |||||
| ⚀ | Kyushu Institute of Technology | Low Earth | Astronomy | |||||
| ⚀ | BULL | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | |||||
| ⚀ | UnseenLabs | Low Earth | SIGINT | |||||
| Maiden flight of H3-30S Variant. PETREL and STARS-X are part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-3 mission. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [57] [58] | | | | |||||
| ⚀ | Phantom Space / TWA | Low Earth | Meteorology | |||||
| First pair of satellites for Tropical Weather Analytics' (TWA) Hurricane Hunter Satellite Constellation. | ||||||||
| Q1 (TBD) [59] | | | | |||||
| | ISA / Weizmann Institute of Science | Geosynchronous | Ultraviolet astronomy | |||||
For flights after 31 March, see List of spaceflight launches in April–June 2026 | ||||||||
| Date and time (UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
| Remarks | |||||||
| 25 January [60] | | | | ||||
| | Virginia Tech | Suborbital | Geospace science | ||||
| 25 January [60] | | | | ||||
| | Goddard Space Flight Center | Suborbital | |||||
| Black and Diffuse Aurora Science Surveyor (BADASS). | |||||||
| January (TBD) [61] [62] [63] | | Flight 12 | | | |||
| | SpaceX | Suborbital | Vehicle evaluation | ||||
| Twelfth Starship flight test. Flight 12 will feature the first use of Block 3 vehicles, as well as being the first launch from Starbase's second launch pad. It will repeat the same flight profile as the previous flights, with the ship falling slightly short of reaching orbit. | |||||||
| January (TBD) [64] | | | | ||||
| | CNES | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | ||||
| 2 February [60] | | | | ||||
| | Penn State University | Suborbital | X-ray astronomy | ||||
| Off-Plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE). | |||||||
| 10 February [60] | | | | ||||
| | Dartmouth College | Suborbital | Auroral science | ||||
| First of two launches. [65] | |||||||
| 10 February [60] | | | | ||||
| | Dartmouth College | Suborbital | Auroral science | ||||
| Second of two launches. [65] | |||||||
| 1 March [60] | | | | ||||
| | United States Naval Research Laboratory | Suborbital | Solar observation | ||||
| 23 March [60] | | | | ||||
| | Wallops Flight Facility | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | ||||
| March (TBD) [64] | | | | ||||
| | DLR / SNSA | Suborbital | Education | ||||
| March (TBD) [64] | | | | ||||
| | DLR / SNSA | Suborbital | Education | ||||
| March (TBD) [66] | | V02 | | | |||
| | ESA | Suborbital | Hipersonic glider | ||||