Gizmodo’s Information to the Coolest Area Missions of 2026

There have been many spectacular moments in spaceflight this 12 months, but when the business had a slogan, it might be “onwards and upwards.” So, as 2025 involves an finish, it’s time to shift our focus towards the launches and mission milestones on deck for 2026.

Over the following 12 months, area businesses and firms will push the bounds of exploration additional than ever earlier than. Deliberate missions embody the primary launch of probably the most highly effective rocket ever constructed, a lunar touchdown, and a crewed flight across the Moon—and that’s only the start.

With out additional ado, listed here are the 11 most enjoyable spaceflight occasions scheduled for 2026. You gained’t need to miss a single one.

First launch of Starship Model 3 (early 2026)

Starship Model 3 pic.twitter.com/1sHD25y49o

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2025

The third iteration of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket would be the largest, most powerful launch vehicle ever built. Starship Model 3 (V3) is designed to take American astronauts again to the Moon, deploy the following era of Starlink satellites, and usher in a brand new period of Mars exploration. If we’re fortunate, we should see it launch in early 2026.

In comparison with Starship V2, this upgraded model might be about 5 toes (1.5 meters) taller with a bigger propellant capability and new docking adapters for in-orbit gasoline switch. That final improve might be important to NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, which can use a modified model of Starship V3 referred to as the Human Touchdown System (HLS) to return astronauts to the Moon.

Nevertheless, SpaceX’s Artemis 3 contract might get swiped by Blue Origin, which is working by itself lunar lander—extra on that in a second.

As we all know from the debut of Starship V2, there’s a serious studying curve to launching a new-and-improved Starship. It’s completely seemingly that V3’s first few flights gained’t go as deliberate, and we might even see some explosive failures. No matter occurs might be pivotal for SpaceX and NASA, as V3’s growth underpins the Artemis timeline, Starlink’s evolution, and Starship’s path to full operation.

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1 launch (early 2026)

Alright, again to Blue Origin. Blue is creating two lunar landers: Blue Moon Mark 1 (for cargo) and Blue Moon Mark 2 (for crew and cargo). The latter is the lander that would nab the Artemis 3 contract from SpaceX if it’s able to fly earlier than the Starship HLS, however its growth hinges on the success of Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1).

The 26-foot-tall (8-meter-tall) cargo lander is anticipated to embark on its first flight throughout the first quarter of 2026, touching down close to the Shackleton crater on the Moon’s south pole. This demonstration mission, dubbed “Pathfinder,” will purpose to validate all the lander’s {hardware} and techniques, together with its never-before-flown BE-7 engine.

MK1 is the biggest industrial cargo lander ever constructed, which can permit it to hold extra payload than any of NASA’s Business Lunar Payload Companies (CLPS) landers. When it launches aboard New Glenn subsequent 12 months, it’ll bring a NASA payload referred to as SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Floor Research) together with it. This array of cameras will take images of MK1’s descent and collect information to help future Moon landings.

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission launch (no later than April)

Talking of going to the Moon, NASA plans to launch its first crewed mission beneath the Artemis program no later than April 2026. Artemis 2 might be humanity’s farthest journey from Earth since the Apollo era ended over 50 years ago.

The mission will launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Area Heart in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The crew—consisting of mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—will trip contained in the Orion spacecraft.

After separating from SLS, Orion will perform a number of maneuvers to lift its orbit round Earth and finally set itself on a lunar free return trajectory. It will ship the spacecraft and its crew on a slingshot-like journey across the Moon, utilizing Earth’s gravity to naturally pull Orion again dwelling.

To be clear, the Artemis 2 mission won’t land astronauts on the lunar floor, however this 10-day flyby will pave the best way for the Artemis 3 Moon touchdown. It’s going to additionally make historical past as the primary to ship a lady and an individual coloration on a lunar mission. When you solely watch one area launch in 2026, it must be this one.

Huge Haven-1 launch: world’s first industrial area station (Might)

Since 2000, the International Space Station (ISS) has served as an orbital outpost for astronauts spanning 5 area businesses and 15 international locations. In 2030, NASA plans to retire it, sending it falling via Earth’s environment the place most of it’ll dissipate throughout reentry.

That doesn’t imply the company and its worldwide companions will hand over their steady presence in low-Earth orbit. In 2021, NASA created the Business LEO Locations (CLD) program to assist the design, construct, and operation of personal Earth-orbiting area stations. A number of firms are engaged on this, together with Huge, a California-based aerospace agency.

Huge plans to ship Haven-1, a single-module area station, to orbit in Might 2026. The station is designed to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Weighing in at roughly 31,000 kilos (14,000 kilograms), Haven-1 would be the largest spacecraft the rocket has ever carried. Huge claims it’ll even be the world’s first industrial area station.

Haven-1 might be able to internet hosting as much as 4 astronauts at a time for short-duration missions. That’s not appropriate to exchange the ISS, however it’ll function a stepping stone to the modular Haven-2 space station. The corporate goals to suggest Haven-2 for the second section of NASA’s CLD program, with plans to launch the primary module in 2028.

NASA SunRISE mission launch (summer time 2026)

Understanding the solar activity that drives area climate is crucial to defending infrastructure in Earth’s orbit and on the bottom. Subsequent summer time, NASA plans to launch an array of six toaster-sized CubeSats that may work collectively to review the Solar’s dynamic habits.

The Solar Radio Interferometer Area Experiment, or SunRISE, will observe low radio frequency emissions to enhance scientists’ understanding of how the Solar generates photo voltaic particle storms, in line with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These bursts of high-energy particles will be hazardous to aircraft, spacecraft and astronauts. They’ll additionally set off geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt energy grids and communications techniques.

The mission will launch as a rideshare aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur Rocket, sponsored by the U.S. Area Pressure’s Area Programs Command. After launch, the SunRISE satellites will orbit Earth inside 6 miles (10 kilometers) of one another to behave like an enormous single-aperture radio telescope, utilizing a way generally known as interferometry.

SunRISE information will produce detailed 3D maps of the place energetic radio emissions happen within the Solar’s heliosphere. These emissions level to the areas of extraordinarily highly effective bursts of radiation. The mission may even map the Solar’s magnetic subject strains for the primary time. These findings will considerably enhance our understanding of how photo voltaic particle storms type and evolve.

China’s Chang’e 7 launch (August)

Blue Origin isn’t the one one trying a Moon touchdown in 2026. In August, the China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA) plans to launch a mission to the lunar south pole.

The Chang’e 7 mission will launch aboard China’s Lengthy March 5 rocket, lifting off from Wenchang Area Launch Website on the island province of Hainan. It’s going to ship an orbiter, lander, rover, and “hopper” probe to discover the Moon’s south pole and seek for sources that may assist China set up a sustained lunar presence, significantly water-ice.

The lander carrying the rover and hopper probe will contact down close to the rim of the Shackleton impression crater, which is prime lunar actual property. NASA is also eyeing the area as a touchdown website for the Artemis 3 mission and a great place to construct a Moon base.

The Shackleton crater is so sought-after as a result of daylight solely ever reaches its rim, which stays illuminated for 90% of the 12 months. In the meantime, the inside is perpetually darkish. This makes it a great touchdown website for future crewed Moon missions, permitting astronauts to harness solar energy on the rim whereas additionally exploring the crater’s completely shadowed inside for water ice.

With Chang’e 7’s goal launch date quick approaching, it seems China is on monitor to beat the U.S. to extracting water from the lunar floor. If the mission succeeds, it might put much more strain on NASA to speed up its progress towards a sustained lunar presence.

ESA’s Hera reaches Didymos (November)

In 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) demonstrated that ramming a spacecraft into an asteroid might change the area rock’s trajectory. The mission was an enormous success that offered a possible technique to defend Earth from oncoming asteroids, although Dimorphos—the one focused by DART—was by no means a menace to our planet.

NASA scientists are tracking practically 2,000 probably hazardous asteroids that—in contrast to Dimorphos—might pose a danger to Earth. The company needs to be prepared to reply shortly if one among these area rocks find yourself on a collision course with our planet. However earlier than it could reliably rely upon this protection technique—the kinetic impactor technique—it wants to know the consequences of using it. That’s the place the European Area Company’s Hera mission is available in.

The Hera spacecraft launched in October 2024 and is on its option to Dimorphos to conduct a post-impact survey, with an anticipated arrival of November 2026. Hera’s devices will carry out visible, laser, and radio mapping of the asteroid to assist scientists absolutely perceive the aftermath of the kinetic impactor approach.

This information will validate and refine numerical fashions of the impression course of at asteroid scale, confirming whether or not this deflection technique is prepared for operational use. If that’s the case, it might be a serious win for our planetary protection capabilities.

ESA’s BepiColombo enters Mercury’s orbit (November)

Of all of the planets within the interior photo voltaic system, the one we’ve explored the least is definitely our closest neighbor: Mercury. That’s as a result of it’s extraordinarily troublesome for spacecraft to enter the small planet’s orbit.

The explanation for that’s Mercury’s proximity to the Solar. To enter the planet’s orbit, a spacecraft has to continuously brake in opposition to the gravitational pull of our dwelling star, which both requires loads of gasoline or utilizing the gravity of different planets to decelerate.

Subsequent 12 months, the BepiColombo mission will obtain this feat for the second time in historical past. This joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Company (JAXA) launched in 2018, and has since accomplished six gravity-assisted flybys of Mercury. It’s on monitor to enter the planet’s orbit in November 2026.

BepiColombo consists of three separate spacecraft. Two of them are science orbiters: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). These spacecraft are being transported to the desert planet by the Mercury Switch Module (MTM). As soon as they arrive, MPO and MMO will break up off into two completely different orbits finest suited to their science devices.

MPO will orbit near Mercury to observe the planet’s surface, whereas MMO hangs again to review its magnetic subject. Their findings ought to assist scientists higher perceive how Mercury shaped and what the early photo voltaic system was like.

Sierra Area Dream Chaser first launch (late 2026)

Sierra Area, a Colorado-based aerospace firm, plans to launch the world’s first commercial spaceplane in late 2026.

Dubbed “Dream Chaser,” this winged plane is designed to launch to low-Earth orbit atop a rocket, then survive atmospheric reentry and carry out runway landings like a airplane. Its foldable wings unfurl as soon as it’s in flight and generate energy utilizing photo voltaic arrays. Its exterior can also be geared up with warmth defend tiles to guard it from the intense temperatures of reentry.

In essence, Dream Chaser combines engineering components of airplanes and spacecraft to function a flexible, reusable car for cargo (and finally crewed) missions to low-Earth orbit. In 2016, NASA awarded Sierra Area a Business Resupply Companies 2 contract to supply not less than seven cargo deliveries to the Worldwide Area Station.

Its first flight was initially alleged to happen in 2020, however the spaceplane’s growth has been repeatedly delayed by certification hurdles and technical points. In November, Sierra Area announced that Dream Chaser had accomplished a collection of crucial pre-flight milestones and is on monitor for a primary launch to low-Earth orbit within the fourth quarter of 2026.

The inaugural Dream Chaser, named “Tenacity,” will launch from Kennedy Area Heart aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur Rocket.

JAXA Martian Moons Exploration launch (late 2026)

JAXA is gearing up for one of the bold planetary science missions in historical past. In late 2026, the company hopes to launch the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, which can ship a robotic probe to discover Mars’s two moons, Deimos and Phobos.

No spacecraft have carried out prolonged investigations of those moons earlier than; what little data we have now about them comes from a number of fly-by measurements. MMX would be the first mission to not solely take detailed measurements of the moons, but in addition land on Phobos to gather a pattern and return it to Earth for evaluation. MMX might additionally assist pave the best way for future crewed Mars missions.

The spacecraft is designed to launch aboard JAXA’s H3 rocket, which recently suffered an engine anomaly throughout its seventh flight. Hopefully JAXA can establish and proper the problem shortly, as points with H3 have already pushed the mission previous its authentic launch goal of September 2024.

If MMX does get off the bottom subsequent 12 months, the probe will enter Martian orbit about one 12 months later. It’s going to then transfer right into a quasi satellite tv for pc orbit round Phobos, land on the floor for pattern assortment, and carry out a number of shut flybys of Deimos earlier than setting course again to Earth. In response to this timeline, it ought to return in 2031.

Roman telescope launch (probably fall 2026)

In an thrilling flip of occasions, NASA has accomplished building of the Nancy Grace Roman Area Telescope forward of schedule. Whereas the official launch date for this unbelievably highly effective observatory continues to be Might 2027, it’s on track to launch as quickly as fall 2026.

Roman is a multi-billion-dollar infrared telescope with a subject of view 100 instances bigger than Hubble’s. In response to NASA, it might observe a billion galaxies in its lifetime, providing an unprecedented view of the cosmos. Roman may even be capable of block starlight to see exoplanets and planet-forming disks, conduct a statistical census of planetary techniques in our galaxy, reply large questions on darkish power, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics.

With all this on Roman’s horizon, it might come as a shock that one among its first duties might be to stare at absolutely nothing. Astronomers just lately laid out an motion plan to make use of the telescope to research cosmic voids—immense, low-density areas of the universe. Researchers suspect these areas are dominated by darkish power, and Roman might assist them search for it.

The telescope will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Area Heart. If we’re fortunate sufficient to see it launch subsequent 12 months, it’ll mark the start of a brand new age of scientific discovery.