This week may mark the first instance in history of humans simultaneously occupying low Earth orbit and conducting a circumlunar flight. The International Space Station operates with a reduced, 3-person crew following Crew-11 early return due to medical concerns. NASA Astronaut Chris Williams, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikayev maintain operations including fluid dynamics research, biological sampling and system checks until Crew-12 arrival. SpaceX Crew-12 to launch four Astronauts—Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, Andrey Fedyaev—to ISS no earlier than February 11 for six-month expedition duties. Boeing Starliner-1 to conduct an uncrewed ISS cargo test no earlier than April 2026, the third orbital mission using the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. On China Tiangong Space Station, Shenzhou-21 crew—Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, Zhang Hongzhang—conducts microgravity biology experiments including virtual reality neuro studies, materials science investigations and station maintenance. This 3-person team supports data collection for future lunar missions, with next rotation Shenzhou-23 targeted for April 2026. Ongoing Tiangong rotations and ISS handovers build long-duration expertise for cislunar and Mars missions. ISRO Gaganyaan-1 uncrewed orbital test targets late March 2026, in preparation for the first human spaceflight from India. In 2026, Vast Haven-1 targets launch as the first standalone commercial space station. Sierra Space plans a LIFE inflatable prototype module for pathfinder testing toward Orbital Reef. (Image Credits: VAST)