Overview
- NASA’s Artemis 2, a roughly 10‑day crewed lunar flyby carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen aboard Orion on SLS, targets a launch window opening no earlier than February 5 with flexibility into spring.
- President Donald Trump issued a directive for “American space superiority,” including a goal to plant the U.S. flag on the Moon before his term ends, as China pursues a 2030 lunar timeline through its Chang’e program.
- Jared Isaacman was confirmed in December as NASA administrator and stated that American leadership in space is the agency’s top priority.
- Commercial milestones expected in 2026 include Rocket Lab’s planned debut of the partially reusable Neutron rocket and Vast’s goal to launch the Haven‑1 private station by May with Crew Dragon access.
- Blue Origin is preparing a lunar lander test mission, and key science missions are set to probe asteroids with China’s Tianwen‑2 expected to reach Kamoʻoalewa in July and ESA’s Hera slated to arrive at Didymos in November.