This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the year 2026.
In 2026, NASA is expected to launch the Artemis III mission, which will land astronauts near the south pole of the Moon. It is expected to be the first mission to land humans on the Moon since 1972.
China plans to launch
Chang'e 7 to explore the
lunar south pole in late 2026.
[1] The mission will include an orbiter, a relay satellite, a lander, a rover, and a mini-flying probe.
[2]
The Chinese Xuntian telescope is planned to be launched and added to the Tiangong space station, the Xuntian will have a field view several times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.
Date and time ( UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | ||||
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Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) |
Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | |||
Remarks | ||||||||
January | ||||||||
January (TBD) [3] |
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NASA | Low Earth ( ISS) | ISS logistics | |||||
January (TBD) [4] [5] |
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KARI | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
March | ||||||||
March (TBD) [6] |
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Roscosmos | Low Earth ( ISS) | Expedition 74/ 75 | |||||
Q1 (TBD) [8] |
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EUMETSAT | Low Earth ( SSO) | Meteorology | |||||
Second of six MetOp-SG launches. [7] | ||||||||
Q1 (TBD) [10] |
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TBA | TBA | Low Earth ( SSO) | TBA | |||||
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to sun-synchronous orbit, designated Transporter-16. | ||||||||
Q1 (TBD) [11] |
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PLD Space | Low Earth | Flight test | |||||
First flight of Miura 5. | ||||||||
Q1 (TBD) [12] [13] |
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Phantom Space / TWA | Low Earth | Meteorology | |||||
First pair of satellites for Tropical Weather Analytics' (TWA) Hurricane Hunter Satellite Constellation. | ||||||||
Q1 (TBD) [8] [15] |
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ESA | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
First satellite of the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring mission. [14] Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme. | ||||||||
Q1 (TBD) [17] |
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ISA / Weizmann Institute of Science | Geosynchronous | Ultraviolet astronomy | |||||
June | ||||||||
June (TBD) [18] |
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ISRO | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
Q2 (TBD) [20] |
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EUMETSAT | Geosynchronous | Meteorology | |||||
Q2 (TBD) [10] |
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TBA | TBA | Low Earth ( SSO) | TBA | |||||
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to sun-synchronous orbit, designated Transporter-17. | ||||||||
Q2 (TBD) [8] [15] |
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ESA | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
Second satellite of the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring mission. [14] Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme. | ||||||||
Q2 (TBD) [23] |
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TBA | TBA | Low Earth ( SSO) | TBA | |||||
Small Satellites Mission Service (SSMS) #14 rideshare mission. | ||||||||
H1 2026 (TBD) [24] |
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Intelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
H1 2026 (TBD) [25] |
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Rivada Space Networks | Low Earth ( SSO) | Communications | |||||
Ninth of twelve launches for Rivada Space Networks' 300-satellite constellation. | ||||||||
H1 2026 (TBD) [25] |
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Rivada Space Networks | Low Earth ( SSO) | Communications | |||||
Tenth of twelve launches for Rivada Space Networks' 300-satellite constellation. | ||||||||
H1 2026 (TBD) [25] |
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Rivada Space Networks | Low Earth ( SSO) | Communications | |||||
Eleventh of twelve launches for Rivada Space Networks' 300-satellite constellation. | ||||||||
H1 2026 (TBD) [25] |
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Rivada Space Networks | Low Earth ( SSO) | Communications | |||||
Twelfth and final launch for Rivada Space Networks' 300-satellite constellation. | ||||||||
Mid 2026 (TBD) [26] |
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SpaceX | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar lander | |||||
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Astrolab | TLI to lunar surface |
Lunar rover Technology demonstration |
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Uncrewed Starship HLS rideshare mission to the lunar south pole. Astrolab's Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover will compete in NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle competition. | ||||||||
September | ||||||||
September (TBD) [6] |
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Roscosmos | Low Earth ( ISS) | Expedition 75/ 76 | |||||
September (TBD) [27] |
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NASA | Selenocentric | Crewed lunar landing | |||||
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Australian Space Agency | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar rover | |||||
Second crewed Orion flight and first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. | ||||||||
Q3 (TBD) [30] |
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Axiom Space | Low Earth ( ISS) | ISS assembly / Space habitat | |||||
Second Axiom Orbital Segment module to be launched, nominally on New Glenn (with Falcon Heavy as backup). [29] | ||||||||
Q3 (TBD) [23] |
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TBA | TBA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
SSMS #15 rideshare mission. | ||||||||
Q3 (TBD) [23] |
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TBA | TBA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
SSMS #16 rideshare mission. | ||||||||
October | ||||||||
Q4 (TBD) [1] |
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CNSA | Selenocentric | Lunar orbiter | |||||
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CNSA | Selenocentric | Communications | |||||
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CNSA | Selenocentric to lunar surface | Lunar lander | |||||
The Rashid 2 rover was removed from this mission due to ITAR concerns. [32] | ||||||||
October (TBD) [34] |
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NASA | Sun–Earth L2 | Infrared astronomy | |||||
Formerly known as the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). [33] | ||||||||
December | ||||||||
Q4 (TBD) [23] |
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TBA | TBA | Geosynchronous | TBA | |||||
Multi-Launch Service (MLS) #1 rideshare mission. | ||||||||
Q4 (TBD) [10] |
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TBA | TBA | Low Earth ( SSO) | TBA | |||||
Dedicated SmallSat Rideshare mission to sun-synchronous orbit, designated Transporter-18. | ||||||||
Q4 (TBD) [36] |
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Axiom Space | Low Earth ( ISS) | ISS assembly / Space habitat | |||||
First Axiom Orbital Segment module to be launched, nominally on New Glenn (with Falcon Heavy as backup). [35] | ||||||||
Q4 (TBD) [38] |
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5B-Y? |
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CNSA | Low Earth ( TSS) | Space astronomy | |||||
Xuntian ("Heavenly Cruiser"), also known as the Chinese Survey Space Telescope or Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), will co-orbit with the Tiangong space station. [37] | ||||||||
To be determined | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [39] |
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ISRO | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
RLV-ORV Mission. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [40] |
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NASA | Low Earth ( ISS) | ISS logistics | |||||
2026 (TBD) [41] |
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ESA | Sun–Earth L2 | Exoplanetary science | |||||
2026 (TBD) [43] |
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U.S. Space Force | Low Earth | Technology demonstration | |||||
STP-S30 Mission. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [45] |
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ispace U.S. / Draper / NASA | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar lander | |||||
TBA | TBA | Selenocentric | Lunar communications | |||||
First flight of ispace's APEX 1.0 lunar lander, as part of ispace Mission 3. Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission delivering payloads to Schrödinger Basin. The Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment (LuSEE), a flight spare of the FIELDS instrument on the Parker Solar Probe, will fly on this mission. [44] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [47] [48] |
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Arabsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
2026 (TBD) [49] [50] |
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U.S. Space Force | Medium Earth | Navigation | |||||
Named after American actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [51] |
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Telesat | Low Earth ( SSO) | Communications | |||||
First of 14 Falcon 9 launches for Telesat's Lightspeed LEO constellation. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [53] |
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Astrobotic | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar lander | |||||
⚀
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Astrobotic | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar rover | |||||
Third Astrobotic lunar lander mission, targeting a site near the lunar south pole. Astrobotic's LunaGrid-Lite aims to demonstrate high voltage power transmission from the lander to a tethered CubeRover. [52] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [54] |
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L3Harris | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
First of three dedicated launches for L3Harris. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [54] |
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L3Harris | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
Second of three dedicated launches for L3Harris. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [54] |
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L3Harris | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
Third of three dedicated launches for L3Harris. | ||||||||
JFY2026 (TBD) [55] |
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JAXA | Low Earth ( ISS) | ISS logistics | |||||
JFY2026 (TBD) [55] |
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JAXA | Low Earth ( ISS) | ISS logistics | |||||
JFY2026 (TBD) [55] |
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CSICE | Low Earth ( SSO) | Reconnaissance | |||||
First of a new generation of IGS-Optical satellites. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [56] |
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JAXA / ISRO | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar lander | |||||
Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [57] |
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JAXA | Areocentric |
Mars orbiter Phobos sample return |
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DLR / CNES | Areocentric | Mars rover | |||||
Sample return mission from Phobos. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [59] |
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ISRO | Areocentric | Mars orbiter | |||||
2026 (TBD) [60] |
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TBA | Low Earth ( SSO) | TBA | |||||
Fifth planned launch of Nuri, and the first with solely commercial payloads. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [61] [62] |
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RSCC | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
2026 (TBD) [18] |
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ISRO | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
2026 (TBD) [64] |
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CNES / ISRO | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
Third collaborative satellite mission between France and India. [63] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [65] |
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Roscosmos | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
2026 (TBD) [67] |
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Roscosmos | Molniya | Meteorology | |||||
2026 (TBD) [69] |
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Spaceflight, Inc. | Low Earth ( SSO) | Space tug | |||||
Dedicated rideshare mission. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [72] |
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Impulse Space | TMI to Martian surface | Mars lander | |||||
Maiden flight of Terran R. [70] Impulse Mars mission. [71] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [70] [75] |
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Iridium | Low Earth | Communications | |||||
A spare Iridium NEXT satellite to be launched on-demand. [73] Relativity was previously contracted to launch up to six spare satellites for Iridium. [74] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [70] [77] |
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OneWeb | Low Earth | Communications | |||||
First of multiple Terran R launches for OneWeb's Gen 2 constellation. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [70] [78] |
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U.S. Space Force | Low Earth | Military | |||||
2026 (TBD) [70] [79] |
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Momentus Space | Geosynchronous | Space tug | |||||
2026 (TBD) [81] [82] |
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NASA | Low Earth | TBA | |||||
NASA Venture Class Launch Services 2 (VCLS 2) Mission, officially known as VCLS Demo-2R. The ELaNa 42 mission, consisting of three CubeSats, will launch on this flight. [80] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [70] [83] |
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mu Space | Low Earth | IoT | |||||
2026 (TBD) [70] [84] |
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Spaceflight, Inc. | Low Earth | Satellite dispenser | |||||
Rideshare mission for smallsats. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [70] [85] |
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TriSept | Low Earth | Satellite dispenser | |||||
2026 (TBD) [86] [87] |
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ESA | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
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ESA | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
FLEX is the eighth Earth Explorer of the Living Planet Programme. | ||||||||
H2 2026 (TBD) [89] |
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ClearSpace SA ( EPFL) | Low Earth | Space debris removal | |||||
ClearSpace-1 will capture and de-orbit the PROBA-1 satellite. [88] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [90] |
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ASI | Low Earth ( SSO) | Earth observation | |||||
Fourth COSMO-SkyMed 2nd Generation satellite. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [92] |
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TBA |
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Equatorial Space | Low Earth | Flight test | |||||
Maiden flight of Volans, and the first orbital flight of a launch vehicle developed in Singapore. [91] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [93] |
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Axiom Space | Low Earth ( ISS) | ISS assembly / Space habitat | |||||
Third Axiom Orbital Segment module. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [95] |
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NASA / Firefly | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar lander | |||||
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SSTL / ESA | Selenocentric ( ELFO) | Communications | |||||
Second Blue Ghost mission. Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission delivering two payloads to the far side of the Moon. [94] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [97] |
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Canadensys / CSA | TLI to lunar surface | Lunar rover | |||||
First Canadian lunar rover. Will fly as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [98] [99] |
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RSCC | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
2026 (TBD) [100] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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Eutelsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
2026 (TBD) [102] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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Inmarsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
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Inmarsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
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Inmarsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
The satellites may launch on separate rockets, though they are designed to fit together in a single payload fairing. [101] | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [104] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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Inmarsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
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Inmarsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
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Inmarsat | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
2026 (TBD) [105] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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The Exploration Company | Low Earth | Reusable spacecraft | |||||
First operational mission of the Nyx reusable spacecraft. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [106] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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SES S.A. | Medium Earth | Communications | |||||
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SES S.A. | Medium Earth | Communications | |||||
2026 (TBD) [107] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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Maxar Technologies | Low Earth | Earth observation | |||||
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Maxar Technologies | Low Earth | Earth observation | |||||
2026–2027 (TBD) [108] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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Sirius XM | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
2026–2027 (TBD) [108] | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||
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Sirius XM | Geosynchronous | Communications | |||||
2026 (TBD) [109] |
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MIT | Heliocentric to Venus | Venus atmospheric balloon | |||||
Second of three MIT missions to Venus to study its atmosphere. | ||||||||
2026 (TBD) [110] [111] |
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Nanjing University / SAST | Sun–Earth L5 | Solar observation |
Date and time ( UTC) | Rocket | Flight number | Launch site | LSP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload (⚀ = CubeSat) |
Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
27 January [112] |
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Penn State University | Suborbital | X-ray astronomy | ||||
Off-Plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE). | |||||||
January (TBD) [113] |
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CNES | Suborbital | Technology demonstration | ||||
10 February [112] |
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Dartmouth College | Suborbital | Auroral science | ||||
First of two launches. [114] | |||||||
10 February [112] |
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Dartmouth College | Suborbital | Auroral science | ||||
Second of two launches. [114] | |||||||
March (TBD) [113] |
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DLR / SNSA | Suborbital | Education | ||||
March (TBD) [113] |
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DLR / SNSA | Suborbital | Education | ||||
March (TBD) [115] |
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V02 |
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ESA | Suborbital | Hipersonic glider | ||||
April (TBD) [113] |
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DLR / ESA | Suborbital | Microgravity research | ||||
May (TBD) [113] |
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S1X-6/M18 |
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SSC | Suborbital | Microgravity research | ||||
SubOrbital Express Microgravity flight opportunity 6. | |||||||
May (TBD) [113] |
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DLR | Suborbital | Microgravity research | ||||
H1 2026 (TBD) [116] |
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CONAE | Low Earth | Flight test | ||||
Maiden flight of Tronador II-70. Expected apogee: 150 km (93 mi). | |||||||
October (TBD) [113] |
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Goddard Space Flight Center | Suborbital | Auroral science | ||||
Second LAMP mission; the first flew on 5 March 2022. [117] | |||||||
November (TBD) [113] |
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DLR / ESA | Suborbital | Microgravity research |
Date (UTC) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
May | Psyche | Flyby of Mars [118] | |
July | Hayabusa2 | Flyby of (98943) 2001 CC21 [119] | |
29 September | JUICE | Second gravity assist at Earth |
Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
---|
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.
Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures |
Remarks |
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Family | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
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Rocket | Country | Family | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
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Rocket | Country | Type | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
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Site | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|
Orbital regime | Launches | Achieved | Not achieved | Accidentally achieved |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transatmospheric | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Low Earth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Geosynchronous / transfer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Medium Earth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
High Earth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Heliocentric orbit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Including planetary transfer orbits |
Ondler said in the briefing that the first of those modules is now scheduled to launch to the ISS at the end of 2026, about a year later than the company previously announced.