Launch

Undisclosed payload on China's Long March 7A rocket from Hainan Island.

Unknown payload launching from Launch Complex 9A launch pad.

Launch window opens 03:09am EDT for classified payload to launch for the US National Reconnaissance Office.

Unknown payload expected to launch on Long March 12, a is medium-lift vehicle that uses propellant of kerosene and liquid oxygen, able to place 10,000kg in LEO and 6,000kg in SSO.

Mars launch window runs Late Oct through Dec 2026 for first Mars mission of JAXA, consisting of sample return probe; to conduct observations of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, collect Phobos sample, return to Earth. https://www.thespacereview.com/article/5230/1

Astrobotic Griffin to attempt Nobile Crater / Moon South Pole landing with Astrolab FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLIP) rover; originally slated to carry with NASA Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER).

"Indefinitely delayed" mission unlikely to launch this year. First launch of the Starliner crew vehicle to the International Space Station carrying only cargo for the orbital laboratory; will allow in-flight validation of the system upgrades implemented following the Crew Flight Test mission of 2024.

Independent mission to Venus developed by Rocket Lab and MIT, NZSA Venus Mission is a small direct Venus entry probe with a single 1 kg low-mass, low-cost autofluorescing nephelometer riding on a satellite bus based on the Photon Upper stage of the Electron rocket. The probe mission will spend approximately 5 […]

NET Q1 2027 — First commercial space station, built by Vast Space, planned for insertion into LEO.

ESA plans to launch Ariane 6-2 with PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) spacecraft with array of 26 cameras to Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange Point to look for signs of planets in habitable zones of stars.

NET 2027 — Roscosmos State Corporation, Launch Luna-26, Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia: Roscosmos hopes to launch the Luna-Resurs O (Luna-Resurs Orbiter) to Moon polar orbit with 14 instruments for 1 year at 60-80 km altitude for lunar mapping.

NET 2027 — ISRO to launch its Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) with Chandrayaan-4 lunar lander from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Planned launch of Chandrayaan-4 mission for Moon landing and sample return up to 3 kg (6.6 lb) from near Statio Shiv Shakti.

NET 2027 — CNSA to launch Long March 5 with Xuntian space telescope from Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan Island, China (19° N), China: Launch of Xuntian (Space Sentinel / Chinese Space Station Telescope ‘Touring the Heavens’) to LEO; will co-orbit with Tiangong Space Station, allowing it to dock periodically; 2-meter […]

SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 with APEX 1.0 Lunar Lander Mission 1. Lunar lander built by ispace, Draper (mission lead) and Karman Space & Defense under $73M NASA CLPS to land near Schrödinger Basin, Moon South Pole region with NASA payloads (two seismometers, a drill, a probe, a magnetic sounder, LuSEE-Light […]

First crewed test flight to an orbit of 400 km of the Gaganyaan programme, with launch planned for NET Q1 2027.

Crew of 4 men to Low Earth Orbit to test docking of Orion craft with separately launched prototype lunar landing systems from SpaceX and / or Blue Origin. Astronauts will then transfer over to the lander(s) to check life-support systems. Possible testing also of Axiom lunar spacesuits including EVA.

Launch Falcon Heavy / Astrobotic Griffin Lander Mission 2: Astrobotic Griffin planned to carry satellites to cislunar space and take commercial payloads to landing near Moon South Pole.

NET Sep — NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope (NEO Surveyor), to help advance planetary defense efforts to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit, planned to be launched this month.

NET Oct  — Under US$116.9M NASA CLPS award, Intuitive Machines 4th mission to deliver 6 NASA payloads totaling ~79 kg, including carry ESA Lunar ice drill ProSEED / PROSPECT sensor array, magnetometer, radiometer to investigate surface composition, instrument to measure how lander affects regolith, retroreflectors as location marker, a yeast experiment; payload capacity for commercial […]

NET Oct 2027 — Second lunar lander from Blue Origin to launch to Moon South Pole region with payloads including NASA Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER).  

Second crewed test flight to LEO of the Gaganyaan programme, with launch planned for NET late 2027.

NET 2028 — Tentative date for China's first crewed lunar flyby using super-heavy lift Long March 10 rocket and crew spacecraft Mengzhou, while continuing to develop the crewed lander Lanyue that will rendezvous in lunar orbit.

NET 2028 — China expects to launch Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Mission to Mars by this date, to deliver samples to Earth by 2031; focus is on astrobiology.

NET 2028 — Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 3 to launch (on vehicle TBD), under $179.6M NASA CLPS award, to take 6 payloads to Gruithuisen Domes, 36.3° N, 319.8° E, for radio-wave observations, neutron measurements, photovoltaic investigation, regolith sampling, Heimdall camera imaging, Lunar-VISE exploration.

NET 2028 — Roscosmos planning to launch Angara A5 with Luna-27 (Luna-Resurs 1) lander to Moon South Pole to target frozen volatiles in sub surface.

NET 2028 — Planned launch of first module for India's space station Bharatiya Antariksh Station, BAS-1, using LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3).

SpaceX to launch Starship with Venturi Astrolab FLEX LTV from Starbase, Boca Chica TX. Under NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) Services contract, and carrying commercial payloads, Astrolab (working with Axiom Space and Odyssey Space Research) full-scale Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover, with payload capacity up to 1,500 kg, aiming […]

Artemis IV is planned as the first crewed Moon landing since Apollo 17. Two astronauts will use a Human Landing System (HLS), either SpaceX's Starship HLS or Blue Origin's Blue Moo, to descend to the lunar surface while the other two remain in orbit.

India planning to launch its first mission, Shukrayaan-1, to Venus to study the surface and atmosphere of Venus; planned to enter Venusian orbit 19 July 2028.

SpaceX to launch Starship with Venturi Astrolab FLEX C rover from Starbase, Boca Chica TX. Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX-C) rover to launch to Moon South Pole Region, with commercial payloads including the International Lunar Observatory Association's ILO-1 flagship instrument.

Planned launch of Chandrayaan-5 joint ISRO and JAXA mission to explore permanently shadowed regions near Moon South Pole, landing on elevated ridge of Shackleton Crater ~89.45°S, 222.85°E.

NET Q3 2028 — Chang'E-8 planned to land at Moon South Pole with 10 international projects to conduct in-situ resource utilization experiments; mission includes lander, Pakistan SUPARCO rover, robots for supporting international lunar base buildout.

NASA's Artemis 5th flight (4th crewed mission) is planned to send touchdown on the Moon's surface.

Mars launch window is open December 2028 into early 2029. Rosalind Franklin Rover will launch to search for life on Mars, NASA announced on 4.16.26. The Rosalind Franklin is part of Europe's ExoMars exploration program, which was established about 15 years ago with NASA as a key partner. NASA-ESA partnership […]

NET 2029 — Tentative date for China's crewed spaceflight program to have first of its multiple human Moon missions to the Moon South Pole region using 2 launches, one for crew spacecraft Mengzhou and one for lander Lanyue that will rendezvous in lunar orbit; developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle […]

NET 2029 — Roscosmos hoping to launch Launch Luna-28 (Luna-Resurs 2) to the Moon South Pole region for sample return mission.

NET 2029 — Japan plans to launch JAXA Astronauts to space this year on indigenous HTV Return Vehicle.

NET 2029 — China planning to launch its first probe to Jupiter this year with the Tianwen-3.

NET 2029 — Expected launch of CNSA Solar Polar Orbit Observatory spacecraft to enter a high-inclination orbit around the Sun to observe its poles, via a gravity-assist maneuver at Jupiter.

NET 2030 — Projected date / decade for NASA to send Humans to Mars.

NET 2030 — Roscosmos hoping to launch Angara A5 with Luna-29 (Luna-Resurs 3) Moon South Pole lander and rover; mission goals / landing site TBD, will support future Human base.

NET 2030 — Russia hopes to launch Millimetron (Spektr-M) space observatory with a diameter of 10 meters to Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange Point to study black holes, formation of stars, planets, galaxies.

Roscosmos State Corporation planning to launch Launch Luna-30 lander to deliver a reusable cargo delivery spacecraft with supplies for human missions.

European Space Agency planning to launch the Argonaut Lunar Descent Element -- lunar lander built by Thales Alenia Space to the Moon.

South Korea planning to launch Moon lander & rover to look for signs of rare minerals on Moon surface.

Tentative date for China to test launch its next-gen rocket intended to carry people and cargo to the Moon.

Roscosmos hoping to launch lander to deliver a heavy lunar rover weighing up to 5,000 kg, capable of mining / extracting lunar resources.

Türkiye hopes to have space-launch capabilities and more than 20 operational satellites by this date.

Roscosmos hopes to launch Luna-33 orbiter to be used for communication and navigation for Human Moon Missions and lunar base.

International Lunar Research Station ILRS-5 mission to occur by this date; final mission before human occupation of ILRS will include lunar-based astronomy and Earth observation capabilities.

India planning to launch Soorya for final module completing space station Bharatiya Antariksh in LEO.

Roscosmos hopes to launch Luna-32 to deliver heavy modules weighing up to 5,000 kg for the construction of the International Lunar Research Station by this date.

NET 2035 — Potential date for India 1st crewed mission to cislunar space with using Soorya rocket.