2026: A Defining Space Year with Artemis II, Gaganyaan, and Lunar Focus

• 2026 marks a pivotal year for space, dubbed the "year of the Moon," with major global missions pushing human and robotic exploration beyond Earth.
• NASA's Artemis II will send four astronauts on a 10-day circumlunar mission, the first crewed deep-space flight since Apollo 17, testing Orion's life support.
• China's Chang'e-7 targets the Moon's South Pole with an orbiter, lander, rover, and hopper to search for water ice, involving international payloads.
• India's Gaganyaan G1 mission in early 2026 will feature the Vyommitra robot, advancing human spaceflight readiness, alongside new Earth-observation satellites.
• SpaceX plans Starship cargo flights to Mars, Europe launches Hera, SMILE, PLATO, BepiColombo, and Japan's MMX targets Phobos, alongside growth in commercial space and sustainability efforts.

Why It Matters: 2026 is set to transform space exploration from isolated feats to sustained human missions and advanced infrastructure.