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A brand new period of lunar exploration and area innovation is poised to unfold alongside Florida’s Space Coast as NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin put together for history-making launches in 2026.
While 2025 noticed a document variety of launches —together with crewed exploration, science missions, and even an historic first booster touchdown by Blue Origin’s New Glenn — 2026 will showcase Cape Canaveral’s quick evolving future. The panorama and skyline of Cape Canaveral is quickly reworking.
What to be careful for: Artemis II is about to ship astronauts across the moon for the primary time in additional than 50 years, SpaceX’s readying Starship for its first Kennedy Space Center liftoff, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket advancing towards lunar lander missions.
Here’s a style of what the Space Coast can anticipate to occur in 2026:
Launch of NASA Artemis II
As early as February 2026, NASA’s highly effective SLS (Space Launch System) might launch once more from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. This mission, Artemis II, will ship 4 astronauts on a crewed take a look at flight across the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft.
The Artemis I mission launched an uncrewed SLS across the moon in late 2022. It might be Artemis III, set to launch no sooner than 2027, that may return Americans astronauts to the lunar floor for the primary time since 1972. Artemis II is the flight that paves the way in which.
Now, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have been going by ultimate rehearsals at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for his or her launch.
SpaceX Starship launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
SpaceX acquired ultimate approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and Space Force Environmental Impact Statements, permitting the corporate to proceed with plans to launch Starship from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX is now aiming to conduct its inaugural Starship launch from Kennedy Space Center someday in 2026 — pending progress with the upcoming V3 Starship take a look at flights in Texas.
The Starship web site at Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A is nearing completion, with the launch tower standing and the launch pad being set. Starship will launch from this web site first, ultimately attending to the purpose the place the booster and ship additionally return for landings. Once the Launch Complex 37 web site is full and Starship is perfected, the Cape will see an elevated launch cadence.
Although initially geared toward Mars missions, Starship can be NASA’s high possibility for touchdown the Artemis III astronauts on the moon. However, NASA reopened bidding for a quicker resolution in direction of the 2027 touchdown objective.
The launch of this large automobile has triggered issues from many Space Coast residents with worries starting from noise disturbance to street closures at Playalinda Beach to impacts on wildlife and ecosystems.
New Glenn third launch and moon lander
Following its profitable second launch from Cape Canaveral — and inaugural booster restoration — in November 2025, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is about to launch for a 3rd time no sooner than the primary half of 2026.
While a date has not been confirmed, Blue Origin has talked about its Blue Moon Mark 1 uncrewed lunar lander launching in 2026. In the approaching years, the corporate is contracted to ship a human lander for NASA’s Artemis moon missions, often called Blue Moon Mark II. NASA had deliberate to alternate between Blue Moon Mark II and SpaceX’s Starship for human landers.
The engine for the Mark 1 lander completed testing and was shipped to the corporate’s Florida amenities in mid-December.
The rocket can be presently present process upgrades, with a extra highly effective 9×4 model introduced. As the title suggests, this new model of the rocket will characteristic 9 first stage and 4 higher stage engines — in comparison with the present seven first stage and two higher stage engines. It is unknown when the primary of this variant will launch.
SpaceX Gigabay modifications Kennedy Space Center skyline
In preparation for Starship operations from Florida, SpaceX is setting up its Gigabay manufacturing facility, which is about to turn into a looming half on the Kennedy Space Center skyline.
Standing 380 toes excessive, the constructing would not attain the peak of NASA’s 525-foot Vehicle Assembly Building, however it would turn into a outstanding landmark close to Cape Canaveral.
Similar to SpaceX’s Megabay in Texas, the Gigabay might be used to assemble and put together 232-foot Super Heavy boosters. When stacked on the launch pad, Starship reaches greater than 400 toes tall.
As of December 2025, the metal body of the Gigabay was shortly rising simply behind the gates of Kennedy Space Center. While not apparent to the general public throughout the river, the construction is unmistakable from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex bus tour.
Stoke, Relativity, and Vaya look to launch from Cape Canaveral
Three smaller firms are persevering with to make progress towards launching new rockets from Cape Canaveral. While we wouldn’t have launch dates, Stoke Space and Relativity Space have already made important progress on launch web site building over the previous yr.
When the pad and rocket are prepared, Stoke Space will launch its absolutely reusable Nova rocket from historic Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Relativity Space can be planning to launch its reusable Terran R rocket from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station no sooner than late 2026.
Based in Cocoa, Vaya Space’s Dauntless rocket will launch from Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Dauntless makes use of a hybrid fueling system, which incorporates exact circulate of oxidizer and 3D printed stable gasoline grains. The firm has not but introduced a goal launch date.
Once operational, these new rockets will compete with SpaceX and Blue Origin, that are each dedicated to reusability. Reusing rockets brings down launch prices and in addition permits for extra frequent liftoffs.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.
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