Lunar exploration is set to dominate space headlines in 2026, with human flights around Earth’s natural satellite expected to capture global attention in ways not witnessed since the historic Apollo missions. The year ahead promises to revive an era when moon missions were breaking news rather than distant memories.

The Artemis 2 mission stands as the centerpiece of next year’s space activities. This NASA endeavor will send a crew of four astronauts on a circumlunar voyage, serving as preparation for eventual moon landings. Jared Isaacman, NASA’s recently appointed Administrator who assumed leadership this month following a challenging year, identified this mission as his primary focus.

In a recent CNBC interview, Isaacman expressed enthusiasm about the historic nature of the flight, emphasizing that Americans will journey around the moon for the first time in five decades. He suggested the launch could occur within weeks or possibly one to two months from his late December statement.

The Pacific Northwest contributes significantly to lunar exploration efforts. L3Harris Technologies maintains a Redmond, Washington facility that manufactured thruster systems for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft. Beyond Artemis 2, the Seattle region connects to additional moon missions scheduled for 2026. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, based in Kent, plans to deliver an unmanned Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to the lunar surface, supporting NASA’s preparation for future moon missions.

Paul Brower, serving as Blue Origin’s lunar operations director, recently shared via LinkedIn that these represent humanity’s initial steps toward opening lunar frontiers for everyone.

2026 may also mark the year when Seattle’s Interlune company launches its initial prospecting equipment to the moon’s surface. The instrument will search for helium-3, a scarce material the company intends to return to Earth for applications in fusion reactors and quantum computing.

As 2025 concludes, examining five major space achievements from the past year and five emerging trends for 2026 provides valuable perspective.

Reviewing 2025’s achievements reveals several milestones. Blue Origin achieved orbital capability when its New Glenn rocket launched successfully for the first time in January after ten years of development, carrying test equipment for its Blue Ring space mobility platform. A November launch deployed NASA’s Escapade Mars probes while successfully recovering a New Glenn booster at sea for the first time. The company’s suborbital New Shepard program transported seven crews beyond Earth’s atmosphere, including notable passengers like Lauren Sanchez, who married Bezos two months post-flight, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun who paid $28 million for his ticket, and Michaela Benthaus, the first wheelchair user to reach space.

Amazon’s satellite internet constellation began operations when initial satellites launched in April. The service rebranded from Project Kuiper to Amazon Leo in November, with terminals reaching early customers through a preview program. Full deployment is expected to accelerate throughout 2026. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starlink network continues expanding with over 9,300 satellites serving more than 9 million global subscribers.

The Rubin Observatory delivered its first images in June, fifteen years after Bill Gates and Charles Simonyi donated $30 million toward creating the massive Chilean sky-survey telescope. Simonyi attended the debut. University of Washington researchers played crucial roles completing the $800 million project.

Redmond-based Starcloud achieved a significant milestone in November by launching an Nvidia GPU chip into orbit, later claiming to be the first company training artificial intelligence models in space. This accomplishment represents early progress toward Starcloud’s goal of establishing orbital data center networks. Multiple 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. This trend reportedly influences SpaceX’s plans for 2026 public offering.

SpaceX’s Starship development experienced mixed results, with numerous ventures depending on this super-rocket’s success, including Starcloud and Seattle-based space travel company Orbite. Three test flights failed during early 2025, but SpaceX recovered with two successful flights in the year’s second half. The company now develops an upgraded Starship version while addressing a booster anomaly from November pressurization testing.

Looking forward to 2026, several developments warrant attention. Artemis 2 will mark humanity’s first departure from Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. Current plans schedule the mission between February and April. Four crew members—three Americans and one Canadian—will board the Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for a circumlunar trajectory similar to 2022’s unmanned Artemis 1 flight. Success could enable an Artemis 3 crewed landing as early as 2027, though delays appear more likely.

Blue Origin’s unmanned 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 paves the way for the Mark 2 lander scheduled to transport astronauts beginning in 2030. Other robotic spacecraft targeting 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 carrying two mini-rovers and Interlune’s helium-hunting camera.

Several Seattle-area companies beyond Blue Origin plan significant 2026 space missions. Kent-based Stoke Space could 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 maneuverable Otter spacecraft can provide satellite in-space boosts.

A proposed $175 billion missile defense system called Golden Dome already attracts interest from space ventures focusing on in-space mobility and 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 staff reductions and science program cuts. While pledging to land astronauts on the moon during the current presidential term, funding remains
challenging. NASAWatch’s Keith Cowing suggested during an i24 TV appearance that Isaacman will likely approach the White House requesting additional funds.

Additionally, a total lunar eclipse on March 3 will be visible across the United States, weather permitting. An August 12 solar eclipse will bring totality to narrow portions of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. Though not visible from Seattle, highlights should be available online.