Looking back at 2025, there were a number of major events in space and astronomy news. The first fully successful commercial landing on the Moon, the first images from the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS were some of the highlights. So, what’s on tap for 2026? While new scientific discoveries are obviously difficult to predict, there are some significant events already scheduled. Keeping in mind that spaceflight launch dates sometimes change, here are some notables for you to look forward to this year:
Humans Return to the Moon
This is my personal favorite. NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled for this year, with the first launch window opening on February 5. If weather or other setbacks scrub that launch, there will be more chances over the subsequent months. The 10-day mission will be a fly-by, swinging around the far side of the Moon and then returning to Earth. No landing will take place and they will not enter lunar orbit. This is still a very notable event. No human has ventured beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Space Shuttle missions, visits to the International Space Station, and all other human spaceflight since then has been limited to only a few hundred miles above the Earth. Artemis II will carry four astronauts to our nearest celestial neighbor, roughly 240,000 miles away. This mission will pave the way for Artemis III, tentatively scheduled for no later than 2028, which will be the first manned lunar landing in more than half a century.
Planetary Parade
In late February, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will line up for sky-gazers throughout much of the populated world. The show will be visible just after sunset on multiple nights, with the best alignment on February 28. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible to the naked eye. You’ll want a decent pair of binoculars or a telescope to spot Uranus and Neptune. Planetary alignments are relatively common, but they’re also among the most easily viewable events for the public, so they often make news.
First Private Space Station
Haven-1, designed and built by American aerospace company Vast, is scheduled to launch to low Earth orbit in May. It will be carried to orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Vast-1, the first crewed mission to the space station, will follow several months later. While a number of companies have broken the glass ceiling on private spacecraft launches, Haven-1 will be the first commercial space station. Vast’s plans for Haven-1 and follow on stations include both scientific and space tourism opportunities, with a microgravity experiment already scheduled for Haven-1 and accommodations and viewing ports for adventurers to take in the sights of space. A space station marks another milestone for the private space industry.
Another “Moon” Visit
Asteroid Kamo’oalewa isn’t actually a moon of Earth, though it is sometimes misreported as a second moon. It’s what astronomers call a quasi-moon. It orbits the Sun, not Earth, but follows a very similar path to Earth, so it is near us quite frequently and can appear to be circling our planet to an observer. China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft, an unmanned mission launched last May, will attempt to land on Kamo’oalewa in July and later return samples to Earth in 2027, the first sample-return mission to a quasi-moon. Sample return missions are increasing in frequency and give scientists a chance to study conditions from early solar system history, billions of years ago.
Venus Life Finder
In another first for the private sector, the Venus Life Finder mission will be the first commercial spacecraft to visit another planet. Venus was once thought to host similar conditions to Earth, perhaps even life. Early missions in the 1960s and 70s revealed that the surface of the planet is hellish, with temperatures of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit and crushing pressure equivalent to being thousands of feet deep in Earth’s oceans. Later, it was theorized that conditions suitable for life could exist in the thick cloud layers of Venus. The Venus Life Finder will briefly explore that possibility. Upon arrival at the planet, the probe will spend about 5 minutes sampling cloud particles via laser on its descent, looking for signs of life. The mission is also unique in its low price tag, estimated at only $10 million. If successful, it could signal the feasibility of more affordable space missions, which sometimes run into the hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.
Total Solar Eclipse
On August 12, the Moon will pass between Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the Sun from the sky. Only people in the path of totality will see the Sun be completely covered, while much larger areas of Earth will see a partial eclipse. Easiest viewing of totality will be from Iceland or Spain, while the partial eclipse will be visible from eastern North America, much of Europe, and northern Africa. An annular eclipse will also take place this year. An annular eclipse happens when the Moon is slightly further away from Earth and does not completely cover the Sun’s disk, creating a “ring of fire” effect. This will happen on February 17. However, annularity will only be visible from Antarctica, with the partial eclipse visible from southern latitudes of South America and Africa.
Voyager 1 Milestone
In November, Voyager 1 will reach a distance of one light-day from Earth. A similar concept to the more commonly known light-year, a light-day is the distance that light travels in one day. One light-day is equivalent to about 16.1 billion miles. It will have taken the craft about 49 years since its 1977 launch to reach this distance. It will take Voyager around 18,000 years to travel a single light-year. For reference, the nearest star (which Voyager is not headed towards) is a little over four light-years away.
Honorable Mentions
This has hardly been an all-inclusive list. There will also be a total lunar eclipse on March 3, the numerous annual meteor showers and planetary oppositions, two planetary conjunctions, many crewed and uncrewed rocket launches, and opportunities for telescope enthusiasts to view several comets. Additionally, new data from the James Webb Space Telescope is routinely being analyzed, as well as a number of other new, ongoing, and completed missions, so releases of information on new discoveries should be plentiful throughout the year.
Tidings from the Void 