Space Calendar

2026 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC)
2026-06-15 - 2026-06-20 | Midland TX, USA
IREC isn’t just a competition, it’s a launchpad for innovation and careers. This year, 175 teams have successfully applied and been accepted to participate in the 2026 IREC — to push the limits of high-powered rocketry, applying classroom theory to real-world engineering challenges, and break new IREC records!
The Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 for the purpose of fostering and promoting engineering knowledge and experience in the field of rocketry. ESRA’s mission is to provide safe and exciting opportunities for academic groups to compete in aerospace challenges.
In 2006, ESRA established the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) which has since grown from a handful of U.S. based collegiate teams to welcoming 150+ collegiate teams from ~22 countries on 6 different continents. During the IREC each team designs, builds, tests and launches rockets with a payload size >2kg and target altitudes of 3,000 to 30,000 meters. Rockets are typically 10 to 20 centimeters in diameter and 2.5 to 6 meters long. Multi-stage rockets and all chemical propulsion types (solid, liquid and hybrid) are allowed.

Global Space Enablers Network GSEN Net Connect #9
2026-06-15 | Online
20:00-22:00 HST | UTC 06:00-08:00 June 16 | New Zealand Time 18:00-20:00 June 16. Learn from like-minded and passionate space enablers building their ecosystem and industry from different parts of the world. If you are interested in sharing your current space project (5 minutes) to the group during the session, contact us at info@spaceenablers.net or just come prepared to speak.

ExoPAG 34
2026-06-14 | Online
NASA’s Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) meetings are a vital platform where the science community can actively shape the future of exoplanet exploration. Online and at Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E Green Street for attendees of the AAS meeting. By participating in the ExoPAG, you have the unique opportunity to influence NASA by proposing and contributing to Science Interest Groups (SIGs) and Study Analysis Groups (SAGs). No cost but registration required.

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-54
2026-06-14 | SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Launch window 07:00-11:00 PDT | 14:00-18:00 UTC | 04:00-08:00 HST|for 24 internet satellites; 1st stage booster B1093 expected to land on ASDS OCISLY in the Pacific Ocean after this 14th use.

Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Begins Next Year in Space
2026-06-13 | Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
NASA, Cal-tech high-energy astrophysics satellite surpasses another year in space, having launched on this day in 2012.

Info Session: Falcon 9 upper stage impact into the Moon
2026-06-12 | Online
Session 9:00 PT (12:00 ET) to overview the Falcon 9 upper stage which is expected to impact the lunar surface on 05 August 2026. The upper stage is from the launch vehicle that launched the Hakuto-R Mission 2 lander and NASA’s CLPS Blue Ghost-1 lander to the Moon. This impact (expected to occur near Einstein/Bell Craters near the lunar limb) may be observable from multiple assets (ground and space-based), so to facilitate the coordination and planning of observations, we will hold an informational session to share relevant information as is known today for anyone interested.
CONFERENCE IO INFO:
Your session is live here: https://arc.cnf.io/, and directly here: Observing the Falcon 9 upper stage impact into the Moon – Conferences i/o
TEAMS CONNECTION INFO:
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/27390195364357?p=Y3uLa4QqXfm67qBIOI
Meeting ID: 273 901 953 643 57
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Need help? | System reference
Dial in by phone
+1 256-715-9946,,102421875# United States, Huntsville
Find a local number
Phone conference ID: 102 421 875#
Join on a video conferencing device
Tenant key: teams@meet.nisn.nasa.gov
Video ID: 112 143 313 9
More info

Friends of Lunar Sites of Special Scientific Interest: UN COPUOS Side Event
2026-06-12 | Vienna, Austria
09:00-10:00 CEST Room M5, with moderator Giuseppe Reibaldi and Alice Gorman (Moon Village Assn), Niklas Hedman (COSPAR), Richard Green (International Astronomical Union), Marius Piso (International Academy of Astronautics) and others.

Insights in Space: Commercial Developments in Today's Access to Space
2026-06-12 | Singapore
Axiom Space Chief Technology Officer, and Astronaut, Koichi Wakata will speak at Singapore Polytechnic, 500 Dover Road, from 09:30-11:30 Singapore Time. An Astronaut with over 33 years of experience in human space activities and a recognized leader in the global space community, Dr Koichi leads the expansion of Axiom Space’s business and strategic presence in the Asia-Pacific region and contributes to the development of Axiom Station, a commercial space station, and the Axiom Extravehicular Activity Unit (Ax-EMU). The session will open with an address by Dr Koichi, followed by a Q&A discussion and networking opportunity.

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-54
2026-06-12 | SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Launch window 08:27-12:27 EDT | 12:27-16:27 UTC | 02:27-06:27 HST for 29 internet satellites; 1st stage booster B1080 expected to land on ASDS ASOG in the Atlantic Ocean after this 27th use.

Bryce Canyon Annual Astronomy Festival
2026-06-11 - 2026-06-13 | Bryce Canyon National Park UT, USA
Held during the New Moon, included are nightly telescope viewing, astrophotography workshops, and speakers including Amber Straughn, NASA Goddard Communications Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. Free with park admission.

Launch Electron / Curveball
2026-06-11 | SLC-2, ~38°N, Wallops Flight Facility VA, USA
Launch set for 00:00 EDT | 04:00 UTC | HST 18:00 June 10 for Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program.

Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space: 69th Session, 2026
2026-06-10 - 2026-06-18 | Vienna, Austria
At United Nations Office at Vienna, Vienna International Centre, Wagramerstrasse 5. Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation meets 13:00-13:55 Vienna time/CEST in Room M2, M-Building, on June 10, 12 and 16.

ILA-Berlin International Aerospace Exhibition
2026-06-10 - 2026-06-14 | Berlin, Germany
100,000 visitors expected for the largest aerospace trade show in Germany at Berlin ExpoCenter Airport. Space is a major segment of 300+ speakers and 750+ exhibitors from ~37 countries.
The origins of this Internationale Luftfahrtausstellung (International Aeronautical Exhibition) date to 1909, making it the pioneer of all aerospace shows, according to The European Space Agency at https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Exhibitions/ESA_at_international_events_and_airshows/Berlin_International_Airshow_ILA.
https://www.bdli.de/en (German Aerospace Industries Association)
Host Messe Berlin is owned by the German State of Berlin: https://www.messe-berlin.de/en/company

EPRV x Solar Physics Workshop
2026-06-10 - 2026-06-11 | Online
Online event of the Extreme Precision Radial Velocity (EPRV) Research Coordination Network will focus on synergies between EPRV and solar physics. 08:00-10:30 PDT | 16:00-18:30 UTC | 05:00-07:30 HST.
The Extreme Precision Radial Velocity (EPRV) community aims to robustly detect temperate, Earth-mass planets orbiting nearby Sun-like stars via Doppler shift signatures in high resolution, visible spectra.

Arietids Meteor Shower Predicted Peak
2026-06-10 | Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Seen in the sunrise direction in the dark hour before dawn, with a predicted rate of 60 to 200 per hour, 2026 will have a thick waxing crescent Moon so watch from a place in the Moon shadow or with a distant object that blocks moonlight. Called the most-active daytime meteor shower, active in 2026 from May 22 – July 3, they appear to be in the constellation Aries.

Launch Smart Dragon 3 / Unknown Payload
2026-06-10 | Haiyang Offshore, Haiyang Oriental Spaceport ~36°N, China
Launch window 08:30-14:30 Beijing Time | HST 14:30-20:30 June 9. Smart Dragon-3 is a solid-fuel orbital rocket designed by a subsidiary of CASC for the commercial market.

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-44
2026-06-10 | SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Launch window open 07:00-11:00 PDT | 14:00-18:00 UTC | 04:00-08:00 HST for 24 internet satellites; 1st stage booster B1071 expected to land on ASDS OCISLY in the Pacific Ocean after this 34th use.

Launch Long March 5 / Unknown Payload
2026-06-10 | Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China
Launch window 14:00-18:00 Beijing Time | 06:00-10:00 UTC | HST 20:00 June 9 – 00:00 June 10 for liquid-fueled rocket able to take ~25,000 kg to LEO or ~14,000 kg to GTO.

Launch H3-30 / Test Flight
2026-06-10 | Tanegashima Space Center, ~30°N, Japan
Launch window 09:53-11:52 Japan Standard Time | 00:53-02:52 UTC | HST 14:53-16:52 June 9, although Launch Reserve Period goes through June 30. On board are a dummy main payload called Vehicle Evaluation Payload 5 or VEP-5, along with several small satellites: PETREL, STARS-X, BRO-22, VERTECS, and HORN-L/R space debris mitigation device from Bull Space https://bull-space.com/.

Canadian Astronomical Society Annual General Meeting (CASCA 2026)
2026-06-09 - 2026-06-11 | Montréal, Quebec, Canada
We are delighted to invite you to the Canadian Astronomical Society’s Annual General Meeting, CASCA 2026: MIL-ion Futures of Astrophysics, taking place from June 9-11, 2026 at the Université de Montréal’s Campus MIL—a vibrant research hub at the crossroads of Montréal’s scientific and cultural life. This flagship event will gather more than 300 astronomers, students, and researchers from across Canada and around the world for three days of cutting-edge science, innovation, and collaboration. With a focus on the future of astrophysics in the era of big data, artificial intelligence, and next-generation observatories, CASCA 2026 will spotlight the discoveries and technologies transforming our understanding of the Universe while inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Land Acknowledgement
The Université de Montréal acknowledges that it is located on unceded Indigenous lands that have not been surrendered through treaty, and wishes to pay tribute to those who have been the traditional custodians of these lands since time immemorial. It expresses its respect for the contributions of Indigenous peoples to the culture of societies here and around the world.

Future of Nuclear Power Source Applications in Outer Space
2026-06-09 | Vienna, Austria
Focus on nuclear technologies to enable exploration missions to the Moon, Mars and the outer solar system, the workshop will also address the legal, regulatory, safety, and technical dimensions. 1992 Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space and 2009 Safety Framework for Nuclear Power Source Applications in Outer Space will be discussed. Boardroom D, Vienna International Centre, 09:00-18:00 CEST.

Launch Zhuque-2E / Unknown Payload
2026-06-09 | Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, China
Launch set for 16:20 Beijing Time | 23:20 UTC | HST 16:20 June 8.

NASA Announces Artemis 3 Astronauts
2026-06-09 | Houston TX, USA
At 11:00 EDT | 15:00 UTC | 07:00 HST NASA will announce the Artemis III crew at a live press conference with mission update. It will take place at Johnson Space Center in Houston and will stream on NASA+ <https://plus.nasa.gov> and the NASA YouTube Channel <https://www.youtube.com/@NASA>. The four astronauts named will be responsible for testing critical rendezvous and docking maneuvers for the mission’s lunar landing.

AIAA Aviation Forum 2026
2026-06-08 - 2026-06-12 | San Diego CA, USA
The only aviation event that covers the entire integrated spectrum of aviation business, research, development and technology. At Manchester Grand Hyatt.

Investor Events for Financial Analysts and Retail Investors
2026-06-08 - 2026-06-11 | Online
About 125 financial analysts from 21 banks are scheduled to meet with SpaceX on June 7. On June 8, executives and bankers will pitch the IPO to investors. On June 11, SpaceX will host 1,500 retail investors, said Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen. Elon Musk reported wants to set aside up to 30% of company shares for smaller investors, compared with 5-10% for most companies. The Initial Public Offering is expected to set a record at US$75B, which would value SpaceX at up to $1.75T.

2026 Extraterrestrial Materials Academy for Undergraduates
2026-06-08 | Houston TX, USA
Running until August 15, 10-week paid summer academy for analytical and laboratory skills in planetary sample science. At LPI, near NASA Johnson.

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-35
2026-06-08 | SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Launch window 06:07-10:07 EDT | 10:07-14:07 UTC | 00:07-04:07 HST for 29 internet satellites; 1st stage booster B1067 expected to land on ASDS ASOG in the Atlantic Ocean after this 35th use.

Launch South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV / Demo Flight
2026-06-08 | Sea Launch
Launch window open 14:00-18:00 Korea Time | 05:00-09:00 UTC | HST is 19:00-23:00 on June 7; to LEO for first orbital full-version launch after 2 sub-orbital tests.

Tianwen-2 Enters Orbit of Asteroid Kamo'oalewa
2026-06-07 | Near-Earth Object (NEO)
Sample-return spacecraft Tianwen-2 will perform an orbit-insertion burn at asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa on Sunday, June 7, 13 months after its launch in May 2025. It is expected to begin collecting samples early next month. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/317613/20260602/tianwen-2-asteroid-orbit-insertion-set-june-7-amateurs-decode-telemetry.htm
Kamoʻoalewa, formally designated 2016 HO3, was discovered in April 2016 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope operated at Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii. It is between 40 and 100 meters in diameter — roughly the size of a large building — and is the smallest asteroid ever to be visited by a spacecraft. The object occupies an unusual quasi-satellite orbit, looping around the Sun in a path that keeps it perpetually near Earth without being gravitationally captured by our planet. That stability will last only about three centuries before gravitational perturbations shift it elsewhere.
What makes Kamoʻoalewa a priority science target is its reflectance spectrum. Unlike most near-Earth asteroids, which tend toward carbonaceous or stony compositions, its spectrum closely resembles the lunar silicate material studied in NASA’s Apollo samples.

Fly With An Astronaut
2026-06-07 | Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex FL, USA
Astronaut Ken Cameron, Pilot or Commander for 3 Space Shuttle flights with 561+ hours in space, gives his personal account and reflects on his experiences, then engages in Q&A; part of a Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex tour that includes other locations, shows, transportation among them, and catered lunch. Includes one-day admission.
