The year 2026 promises to be a landmark period for lunar exploration, with missions that haven’t been seen since humanity last ventured beyond Earth’s orbit more than five decades ago. NASA’s Artemis 2 voyage, scheduled to carry four crew members on a circumlunar flight as preparation for subsequent surface missions, stands out as the premier spaceflight event of the coming year. Jared Isaacman, who assumed leadership of NASA this month following a challenging period for the agency, has identified this mission as his top priority.

Speaking on CNBC recently, Isaacman expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming mission, noting that American astronauts will journey around the moon for the first time in fifty years. He indicated the launch could occur within weeks or possibly a couple of months at the latest.

The Pacific Northwest contributes significantly to lunar exploration efforts. L3Harris Technologies’ Redmond, Washington facility manufactured propulsion systems for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft. Additionally, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, based in Kent, intends to deploy its uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 lander on the moon’s surface during 2026, supporting NASA’s preparations for future lunar missions.

Paul Brower, who directs lunar operations at Blue Origin, recently stated on LinkedIn that the company is taking initial steps toward opening the lunar frontier for humanity.

The year may also witness Seattle-based Interlune launching its initial prospecting instrument to the lunar surface, searching for helium-3 deposits. The company plans to eventually transport this rare material to Earth for applications in fusion reactors and quantum computing.

As 2025 concludes, here are five significant space achievements from the past year and five developments to monitor in 2026.

Reflecting on 2025

Blue Origin achieved orbital capability after a decade-long
development process, successfully launching its New Glenn rocket initially in January, carrying test equipment for its Blue Ring space mobility platform. A November launch deployed NASA’s Escapade probes toward Mars and marked the first successful ocean recovery of a New Glenn booster. The company’s New Shepard suborbital program
transported seven crews to space, including notable passengers such as Lauren Sanchez, who married Bezos two months post-flight; crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, who invested $28 million for his ticket; and Michaela Benthaus, who became the first wheelchair user to reach space.

Amazon activated its space-based broadband internet service with the April launch of initial operational satellites. The network underwent rebranding from Project Kuiper to Amazon Leo in November. Early-stage customers received terminals for a preview program, with broader deployment anticipated in 2026. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starlink network expanded to over 9,300 satellites, serving more than 9 million customers globally.

The Rubin Observatory made its debut in June, fifteen years after Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Charles Simonyi contributed $30 million toward creating this massive sky-survey telescope in Chile. Charles Simonyi attended the unveiling. University of Washington researchers played crucial roles in completing this $800 million project.

Redmond-based Starcloud orbited an Nvidia GPU chip in November and subsequently claimed to be the first company training an artificial intelligence model in space. This milestone represents progress toward Starcloud’s goal of establishing orbital data center networks. Several technology leaders, including Bezos, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, SpaceX’s Elon Musk, and Google’s Sundar Pichai, view orbital data centers as solutions for Earth’s growing AI processing demands. Some analysts suggest this trend influences SpaceX’s reported plans to become publicly traded in 2026.

SpaceX’s Starship development experienced mixed results, with many ventures depending on its success. Three test flights failed during early 2025, but two successful tests occurred in the year’s second half. SpaceX now develops an upgraded Starship version while addressing a booster anomaly that occurred during November
pressurization testing.

Anticipating 2026

For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans will depart Earth’s orbit. Current plans schedule the Artemis 2 mission between February and April. Four crew members—three Americans and one Canadian—will board the Orion spacecraft and launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Their circumlunar trajectory will mirror NASA’s uncrewed Artemis 1 flight from 2022. Success could enable an Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing as early as 2027, though delays appear likely.

Blue Origin’s uncrewed lander will deliver NASA’s SCALPSS experiment to the moon’s south polar region. Stereo cameras will document landing burn interactions with lunar dust, informing future landing plans. This Blue Moon Mark 1 mission precedes the Mark 2 lander, scheduled to begin transporting astronauts to the lunar surface in 2030. Other robotic spacecraft scheduled for 2026 moon landings include China’s Chang’e 7 rover, Firefly’s Blue Ghost 2 lander, Intuitive Machines’ IM-3 lander, and Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, which will carry two mini-rovers and Interlune’s helium-detecting camera.

Beyond Blue Origin, several Seattle-area companies plan significant 2026 space missions. Kent-based Stoke Space may launch its first fully reusable Nova rocket from Florida. Bothell-based Portal Space Systems’ Starburst space vehicle is scheduled for orbital debut. Tukwila-based Starfish Space plans demonstrating how its Otter spacecraft can provide satellites with in-space propulsion.

A proposed $175 billion missile defense system called Golden Dome already attracts space venture interest, particularly companies focusing on in-space mobility or orbital data processing. Marysville, Washington-based Gravitics is constructing an orbital carrier serving as a “pre-positioned launch pad in space” for the U.S. Space Force under a contract potentially worth $60 million. Additional major military projects likely will emerge in 2026.

Isaacman assumes NASA leadership following a year of workforce reductions and science program cuts. He has pledged lunar astronaut landings during the current presidential term, though funding remains challenging. NASAWatch’s Keith Cowing predicted on Israel’s i24 TV that Isaacman will inevitably request additional funding from the White House.

Additional noteworthy events include a total lunar eclipse on March 3, visible across the United States weather permitting, and a solar eclipse on August 12 bringing totality to portions of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. While Seattle won’t observe this eclipse directly, highlights should be available online.