"It's a big universe out there13.8 billion years old, full of hundreds of billions of star-and-planet-packed galaxies and, out past the limits of our sight, perhaps infinite in all directions. But as vast and inscrutable as the cosmos may seem, we're poised for 2026 to be a banner year in bettering our understanding of how it works and our place within it while setting new milestones in spaceflight."
"Return to the Moon The most obviously exciting space event for the coming year is the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission, which could occur as early as February. Taking four astronauts on a 10-day voyage around the moon, Artemis II will mark the first human presence in our natural satellite's vicinity since the early 1970s and will set the stage for subsequent crewed forays to the lunar surface."
2026 will host Artemis II, a 10-day crewed lunar flyby carrying four astronauts, marking the first human presence near the Moon since the 1970s and testing NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 2 will deliver NASA and ESA payloads to the lunar surface in late 2026. China's Chang'e 7 will target the lunar south pole in the second half of the year. Japan's MMX mission will launch toward Phobos to collect samples. These missions will advance hardware validation, scientific payload delivery, and sample-return capabilities, enabling future crewed lunar landings and deeper planetary exploration.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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