Flown in 2026
Starship Reached Orbit; Artemis II Flew Crew Around the Moon
Notable launches and events, January to early October 2026, with outcome.
| Mission | Operator | Destination | Vehicle | Site | Date | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PandoraSmall exoplanet telescope | NASA | LEO (SSO) | Falcon 9 | Vandenberg | 11 Jan 2026 | Success |
| PSLV return to flightMost payloads lost | ISRO | LEO | PSLV-DL | Sriharikota | 12 Jan 2026 | Failure |
| Ceres-2 first flightNew Chinese commercial launcher | Galactic Energy | LEO | Ceres-2 | Jiuquan | 17 Jan 2026 | Failure |
| Mengzhou abort testLaunch-escape test; Long March 10A test stage reached about 105 km and splashed down under control | CMSA | Suborbital | Long March 10A test stage | Wenchang | 11 Feb 2026 | Success |
| Ariane 64 first flightFirst four-booster Ariane 6; 32 Amazon Leo satellites | Arianespace / Amazon | LEO | Ariane 64 | Kourou | 12 Feb 2026 | Success |
| Crew-12ISS crew rotation | NASA / SpaceX | ISS | Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon | Cape Canaveral | 13 Feb 2026 | Success |
| Kinetica-2 first flightChinese commercial medium-lift debut | CAS Space | LEO | Kinetica-2 | Jiuquan | 30 Mar 2026 | Success |
| Artemis IIFirst crewed flight beyond LEO since Apollo 17; Wiseman, Glover, Koch, Hansen; splashdown 11 Apr | NASA / CSA | Lunar flyby, crewed | SLS Block 1 / Orion | Kennedy LC-39B | 1 Apr 2026 | Success |
| Tianlong-3 first flightFailed in the second minute | Space Pioneer | LEO | Tianlong-3 | Jiuquan | 3 Apr 2026 | Failure |
| New Glenn NG-3First New Glenn booster reflight, recovered; upper stage underperformed and stranded the payload | Blue Origin / AST SpaceMobile | LEO | New Glenn | Cape Canaveral LC-36 | 19 Apr 2026 | Partial |
| ViaSat-3 APACThird ViaSat-3 | ViaSat | GEO | Falcon Heavy | Kennedy LC-39A | 29 Apr 2026 | Success |
| Tianzhou-10Station cargo | CMSA | Tiangong | Long March 7 | Wenchang | 11 May 2026 | Success |
| SMILEESA-China magnetosphere mission | ESA / CAS | High Earth orbit | Vega C | Kourou | 19 May 2026 | Success |
| Starship Flight 12First Block 3; ship landed in the ocean on target, booster landing failed; two Starlink V3 deployed | SpaceX | Suborbital | Starship Block 3 | Starbase | 22 May 2026 | Partial |
| Shenzhou-23First Hong Kong astronaut | CMSA | Tiangong | Long March 2F | Jiuquan | 24 May 2026 | Success |
| New Glenn pad explosionVehicle destroyed in a hotfire; LC-36 tower damaged; Blue Moon MK1 pushed to 2027 | Blue Origin | - | New Glenn | Cape Canaveral LC-36 | 28 May 2026 | Lost |
| Long March 12B first flightTwo Qianfan satellites | CASC | LEO | Long March 12B | Jiuquan | 1 Jun 2026 | Success |
| Tianwen-2 arrival at Kamo'oalewaOrbit insertion 7 Jun, rendezvous 4 Jul; sampling under way, capsule return late 2027 | CNSA | Near-Earth asteroid | (launched May 2025) | - | Jun 2026 | Arrived |
| Long March 10B first flightFirst Chinese orbital booster recovered, caught in a sea-based net | CASC | LEO | Long March 10B | China | 10 Jul 2026 | Success |
| Soyuz MS-29ISS crew rotation | Roscosmos | ISS | Soyuz-2.1a | Baikonur | 14 Jul 2026 | Success |
| Starship Flight 1320 Starlink V3 deployed; ship landed on target, booster landing failed | SpaceX | Suborbital | Starship Block 3 | Starbase | 24 Jul 2026 | Partial |
| Chang'e-7 postponedWindow missed on orbital mechanics and Tropical Storm Narra; now no earlier than 2027 | CNSA | Moon (south pole) | Long March 5 | Wenchang | 23 Aug 2026 | Slipped |
| Nancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeSide boosters landed, center core expended | NASA | Sun-Earth L2 | Falcon Heavy | Kennedy LC-39A | 30 Aug 2026 | Success |
| Starship Flight 14First Starship in orbit; 26 Starlink V3 deployed; booster splashed in the Gulf, ship in the Pacific | SpaceX | LEO | Starship Block 3 | Starbase | 28 Sep 2026 | Success |
| Crew-13Same-day docking; Kutryk (CSA) and Teteryatnikov (Roscosmos) aboard | NASA / SpaceX | ISS | Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon | Cape Canaveral | 1 Oct 2026 | Success |
Q4 2026
MMX, BepiColombo and the First Propellant Transfer
Dated launches and arrivals through December 2026.
| Mission | Operator | Destination | Vehicle | Site | Date | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starship Flight 15May attempt the first ship catch on the tower | SpaceX | LEO | Starship Block 3 | Starbase | Oct 2026 | Projected |
| Shenzhou-24Three crew for about 180 days; short visit by a Pakistani astronaut | CMSA | Tiangong | Long March 2F | Jiuquan | Oct 2026 | Projected |
| MMXPhobos sample return with the CNES-DLR Idefix rover; window to 7 Nov; samples home 2031 | JAXA | Phobos | H3-24L | Tanegashima | 19 Oct 2026 | Building |
| Hera arrivalDART impact follow-up; a month ahead of plan | ESA | Didymos-Dimorphos | (launched Oct 2024) | - | Nov 2026 | Building |
| BepiColombo Mercury orbit insertionMio separates 9 Dec; science from Apr 2027 | ESA / JAXA | Mercury | (launched Oct 2018) | - | 21 Nov 2026 | Building |
| Gaganyaan G1Uncrewed, with the Vyommitra humanoid; first orbital test of India's crew module | ISRO | LEO | HLVM3 | Sriharikota | Q4 2026 | Projected |
| Mengzhou-1First orbital flight of China's lunar-class crew capsule | CMSA | LEO / Tiangong | Long March 10A | Wenchang | Late 2026 | Projected |
| Starship propellant transfer demoTwo launches about 3 to 4 weeks apart; gates the lunar lander | SpaceX / NASA | LEO | Starship (depot + tanker) | Starbase or Kennedy | Late 2026 | Projected |
| Starship first Florida launchFAA approved up to 44 launches a year from LC-39A | SpaceX | LEO | Starship | Kennedy LC-39A | Late 2026 | Projected |
| Neutron first flightSlipped after a Jan 2026 tank failure | Rocket Lab | LEO | Neutron | Wallops LC-3 | Q4 2026 | Projected |
| Griffin Mission OneCarries the Astrolab FLIP rover | Astrobotic / NASA CLPS | Moon (south pole) | Falcon Heavy | Kennedy LC-39A | Dec 2026 | Projected |
| HTV-X2Second HTV-X cargo ship | JAXA | ISS | H3-24W | Tanegashima | Dec 2026 | Projected |
| Starliner cargo flightUncrewed test after propulsion redesign | Boeing / NASA | ISS | Atlas V | Cape Canaveral | End 2026 | Projected |
| New Glenn return to flightAmazon Leo batch; Q1 2027 more likely | Blue Origin | LEO | New Glenn | Cape Canaveral LC-36 | End 2026 | Projected |
| Starcloud-2Second orbital data-center satellite; vehicle not announced | Starcloud | LEO | Not announced | - | Late 2026 | Projected |
| Xuntian (CSST)2 m survey telescope that can dock with Tiangong for servicing | CMSA | LEO | Long March 5B | Wenchang | Late 2026-2027 | Projected |
2027
Landers, Stations and a Restructured Artemis III
Commercial lunar landers, the first free-flying commercial station, and China's south-pole lander.
| Mission | Operator | Destination | Vehicle | Site | Date | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terran R first flightIndustry expects 2027 | Relativity Space | LEO | Terran R | Cape Canaveral LC-16 | Early 2027 | Projected |
| Axiom Mission 5Private astronaut mission | Axiom Space / NASA | ISS | Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon | Cape Canaveral | Jan 2027 | Projected |
| IM-3Reiner Gamma magnetic-swirl science, CADRE rovers | Intuitive Machines / NASA CLPS | Moon | Falcon 9 | Kennedy LC-39A | Q1 2027 | Projected |
| Haven-1First free-flying commercial station; Vast-1 crew follows | Vast | LEO | Falcon 9 | Florida | Q1 2027 | Projected |
| Blue Moon MK1 PathfinderUncrewed cargo lander demo | Blue Origin | Moon (south pole) | New Glenn | Cape Canaveral LC-36 | Early 2027 | Projected |
| PLATOExoplanet survey | ESA | Sun-Earth L2 | Ariane 62 | Kourou | Mar 2027 | Projected |
| Chang'e-7Orbiter, lander, rover and hopper prospecting water ice at the Shackleton rim | CNSA | Moon (south pole) | Long March 5 | Wenchang | 2027 | Projected |
| Starship lunar landing demoUncrewed; needs many refueling flights first | SpaceX / NASA | Moon | Starship HLS + tankers | Starbase / Kennedy | 2027 | Projected |
| Axiom Station first moduleDocks to the ISS, then flies free | Axiom Space | ISS | Not announced | - | 2027 | Projected |
| Long March 10 first full flightUncrewed lunar test with Mengzhou | CMSA | Trans-lunar | Long March 10 | Wenchang | 2027 | Projected |
| Gaganyaan crewed flightIndia's first crewed flight | ISRO | LEO | HLVM3 | Sriharikota | 2027 | Projected |
| Artemis IIIRestructured Feb 2026: Orion docks with commercial landers in Earth orbit, no landing | NASA | LEO, crewed | SLS / Orion; Starship HLS; Blue Moon | Kennedy LC-39B | Mid-late 2027 | Projected |
| ESCAPADE Mars arrivalTwin solar-wind orbiters; launched on New Glenn Nov 2025 | NASA | Mars orbit | (launched Nov 2025) | - | Sep 2027 | Building |
| NEO SurveyorInfrared planetary-defense survey | NASA | Sun-Earth L1 | Falcon 9 | Cape Canaveral | Sep 2027 | Projected |
| Tianwen-2 sample returnCapsule to Earth; main craft goes on to comet 311P | CNSA | Earth | (launched May 2025) | - | Late 2027 | Building |
| IM-4South-pole lander | Intuitive Machines / NASA CLPS | Moon (south pole) | Falcon 9 | Kennedy | Late 2027 | Projected |
| Blue Ghost Mission 2First US far-side landing; ESA Lunar Pathfinder relay | Firefly / NASA CLPS | Moon (far side) | Falcon 9 | Cape Canaveral | 2027 | Projected |
2028
Crewed Landing and a Crowded Mars Window
Artemis IV, Chang'e-8, and six missions aimed at the late-2028 Mars window.
| Mission | Operator | Destination | Vehicle | Site | Date | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artemis IVNow planned as the first crewed landing since 1972 | NASA | Moon (south pole), crewed | SLS / Orion + commercial lander | Kennedy LC-39B | Early-mid 2028 | Projected |
| Venus Orbiter Mission (Shukrayaan)Venus orbit Jul 2028 | ISRO | Venus | LVM3 | Sriharikota | 29 Mar 2028 | Projected |
| DragonflyRotorcraft lander; arrives 2034 | NASA | Titan | Falcon Heavy | Kennedy | Jul 2028 | Projected |
| Chang'e-8ISRU and regolith-brick demo; core of the International Lunar Research Station | CNSA | Moon (south pole) | Long March 5 | Wenchang | 2028 | Projected |
| Chandrayaan-4Sample return; two stacks dock in Earth orbit before leaving | ISRO | Moon | Two LVM3 | Sriharikota | 2028 | Projected |
| Haven-2 first moduleDepends on NASA commercial-station selection | Vast | LEO | Falcon Heavy | Kennedy | 2028 | Projected |
| Moon Base CLPS deliveriesFour deliveries under about $600 million in task orders awarded Jun 2026 | NASA / three providers | Moon (south pole) | Various | Various | Late 2028 | Projected |
| Bharatiya Antariksh Station BAS-1First Indian station module, about 10 t | ISRO | LEO | LVM3 | Sriharikota | Late 2028 | Projected |
| ExoMars Rosalind FranklinDrills to 2 m for biosignatures | ESA / NASA | Mars (Oxia Planum) | Falcon Heavy | Kennedy | Late 2028 | Projected |
| Mars Telecommunications Orbiter$700 million award Sep 2026 on the Blue Ring platform | NASA / Blue Origin | Mars orbit | New Glenn | Cape Canaveral LC-36 | 2028 window | Projected |
| Relativity Mars orbiterPrivately funded; carries NASA Aeolus instruments; depends on Terran R | Relativity Space | Mars orbit | Terran R | Cape Canaveral LC-16 | 2028 window | Projected |
| Starship to Mars, uncrewedSlipped from the 2026 window | SpaceX | Mars | Starship | Starbase / Kennedy | 2028 window | Projected |
| SR-1 FreedomNuclear-electric demo using the Gateway power module; carries Skyfall helicopters | NASA | Mars | Not announced | - | Dec 2028 | Projected |
| Tianwen-3Mars sample return; samples to Earth 2031 | CNSA | Mars | Two Long March 5 | Wenchang | Dec 2028-Jan 2029 | Projected |
2029-2031
Outer-Planet Arrivals and Venus
China's crewed landing goal, the ISS deorbit, three Venus missions and arrivals at Jupiter.
| Mission | Operator | Destination | Vehicle | Site | Date | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LUPEX (Chandrayaan-5)Polar water-ice rover | JAXA / ISRO | Moon (south pole) | H3 | Tanegashima | 2028-2029 | Projected |
| StarlabSingle-launch commercial station | Starlab Space (Voyager / Airbus) | LEO | Starship | Kennedy | 2029 | Projected |
| Psyche arrivalOrbit around the metal-rich asteroid | NASA | Asteroid 16 Psyche | (launched Oct 2023) | - | Aug 2029 | Building |
| ARIEL and Comet InterceptorShared launch; Comet Interceptor waits at L2 for a pristine comet | ESA / JAXA | Sun-Earth L2 | Ariane 62 | Kourou | 2029 | Projected |
| Tianwen-4Jupiter and Callisto with a Uranus flyby probe; arrives 2035 | CNSA | Jupiter / Callisto | Not announced | - | 2029 | Projected |
| China crewed lunar landingMengzhou and Lanyue on two Long March 10s | CMSA | Moon, crewed | Two Long March 10 | Wenchang | Before 2030 | Projected |
| US Deorbit VehicleISS operations end 2030, controlled reentry follows | NASA / SpaceX | ISS | Not announced | - | 2029-2030 | Projected |
| Europa Clipper arrivalJupiter orbit insertion | NASA | Jupiter / Europa | (launched Oct 2024) | - | 11 Apr 2030 | Building |
| DAVINCIVenus descent probe; under budget pressure | NASA | Venus | Not announced | - | Dec 2030 | Projected |
| Orbital ReefLarge commercial station; no firm date | Blue Origin / Sierra Space | LEO | New Glenn | - | Late 2020s | Projected |
| VERITASRadar mapper; slipped from 2028 | NASA | Venus orbit | Not announced | - | Jun 2031 | Projected |
| EnVisionMust fly by 2033 | ESA | Venus orbit | Ariane 62 | Kourou | 2031 | Projected |
| Argonaut first missionEuropean cargo lander; five missions planned in the 2030s | ESA | Moon | Ariane 6 | Kourou | 2031 | Projected |
| JUICE arrivalJupiter tour; Ganymede orbit end 2035 | ESA | Jupiter / Ganymede | (launched Apr 2023) | - | Jul 2031 | Building |
| MMX sample returnFirst Phobos samples | JAXA | Earth | - | - | 2031 | Building |
Off the manifest
Missions With No Launch Before 2032
| Mission | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Starship Mars, 2026 window | SpaceX | Not attempted; moved to the 2028 window |
| SpaceX crewed Mars | SpaceX | No date; follows successful cargo landings |
| Lunar Gateway | NASA | Paused Mar 2026; power module reassigned to SR-1 Freedom |
| Uranus Orbiter and Probe | NASA | 2031-2032 launch not funded; studies assume 2035-2040 |
| Venera-D | Roscosmos | No current launch date |
| LISA | ESA | 2035 |
China
China Has a Dated Path to a Crewed Landing
The Chinese manifest is sequenced toward a crewed lunar landing before 2030: the Mengzhou abort test (February 2026), Long March 10B with a recovered booster (July), Mengzhou-1 in orbit (late 2026), a full Long March 10 lunar test (2027), then Mengzhou and the Lanyue lander on two Long March 10s. Robotic missions run alongside: Chang'e-7 at the Shackleton rim (2027, after missing its August 2026 window), Chang'e-8 for regolith construction (2028), Tianwen-3 Mars sample return (2028-2029 window) and Tianwen-4 to Jupiter and Callisto (2029). Commercial launchers (Zhuque-3, Kinetica-2, Long March 12B, Tianlong-3) are flying first missions at a pace of several a year.
Contested
Deliberately Not Claimed
The load-bearing uncertainties, tagged with the confidence they actually earn.
Projected
Target dates slip. Rows rated Projected carry the latest publicly stated target, not a fixed date; first flights of new vehicles and commercial landers have slipped by a year or more as a rule. Rows rated Building are dated launches or arrivals of spacecraft already built or in flight.
Projected
Some rows rest on a single source. Starship Flight 15's date, Mengzhou-1, the first full Long March 10 flight and India's first crewed flight each rest on one secondary report, and sources disagree on Xuntian, PLATO, the Starship lunar demo and Artemis IV by up to two quarters.
Record
Provenance and Data Sources
- Confidence
- Observed for flown, fielded or measured - Building for hardware and programs in development - Projected for announced plans - Modeled for original analysis
- Status date
- Q4 2026; updated quarterly
- Sources
- Spaceflight launch lists for 2026-2028; NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, CNSA and CMSA mission pages; Spaceflight Now; NASASpaceflight; SpacePolicyOnline; Space.com
- Selection
- Moon, Mars and outer-planet missions, stations, depots, crewed flights and first flights of new heavy and medium launchers; routine constellation and commercial GEO launches left out
- China
- Mengzhou, Long March 10 and 10B, Chang'e-7 and -8, Tianwen-2 to -4, Xuntian, Shenzhou and Tianzhou, commercial first flights
- Weakest link
- Single-source dates for Starship Flight 15, Mengzhou-1, Long March 10 and Gaganyaan crewed flight