As we move into 2026, space exploration and innovation continue to expand, leaving us asking, “What will happen this year beyond Earth?” With continued work at NASA and ongoing projects at independent space agencies, this year will be a year full of firsts and milestones that bring us closer to living in space.
The most anticipated mission of the year is the February Artemis 2 mission, which will send astronauts around the moon on a 10-day lunar flyby, the first such flyby since the Apollo program. Artemis 2 is the second flight of the Artemis program and the first to send astronauts to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. Though Artemis 2 will not land on the moon, this early 2026 mission will serve as an important marker towards getting astronauts back on the moon through Artemis.
The current expedition aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 74, which began on December 9, 2025, will continue through July 2026. The crew aboard the ISS will conduct experiments and report on microgravity research. Multiple spacewalks are planned over the course of the expedition, where the crew will focus on upgrading the station’s systems, demonstrating continued international collaboration and the importance of preparing the ISS for future work.
No earlier than April 2026, NASA and Boeing will launch Starliner-1, an uncrewed mission to the ISS. While it will carry cargo rather than astronauts, the flight will test long-duration orbital operations, autonomous docking, and other technical elements necessary for safe spaceflight. Starliner-1 represents a critical step in the Starliner program, maintaining a reliable and safe system in low Earth orbit.
2026 will also see continued improvement in commercial spacecraft, especially testing of SpaceX’s Starship system, with Flight 12 planned for the end of January. As Starship is one of the most innovative rockets to date, the test flights continue to provide important information on propulsion systems and reentry, supporting PSaceX’s future missions and spacecraft innovation beyond.
2026 will also see significant steps from other nations. India’s ISRO aims to launch Gaganyaan-1 in late March. As the first planned uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan program, the flight will support future human missions by focusing on mission operations. At the same time, China plans to launch Mengzhou-1, the first flight of its new Mengzhou spacecraft on the CZ-10 rocket. Both of these missions show the growing global interest in space exploration, demonstrating the continued expansion of spacecraft innovation.
Overall, these missions and more will make 2026 an important year. Humans will circle the Moon again, new spacecraft will debut, and nations across the world will explore what is possible in space.
In Orbit 