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New Scientist • Leah Crane

Commercial Space Stations to Begin Orbiting in 2026 — A New Era for the LEO Economy

Commercial space stations are slated to begin orbiting in 2026, ending the International Space Station's near-30-year monopoly on crewed low Earth orbit access and opening new platforms for microgravity research, manufacturing and commercial services as agencies and industry prepare for the ISS's 2030 retirement.

2026-01-06T09:42:51.328585-08:00

SpaceNews.com

China completes first astronaut cave‑training mission in Chongqing ahead of lunar landing preparations

2026-01-05T05:33:00.007556-08:00

Ars Technica

Leak in Russian ISS segment stops after five years; NASA and Roscosmos keep probing cracks

2026-01-02T08:02:53.916700-08:00

Universe Today

Model predicts how charged lunar dust sticks to — or bounces off — spacecraft

2026-01-01T12:09:45.021647-08:00

News Timeline

New Scientist

Commercial Space Stations to Begin Orbiting in 2026 — A New Era for the LEO Economy Commercial space stations are slated to begin orbiting in 2026, ending the International Space Station's near-30-year monopoly on crewed low Earth orbit access and opening new platforms for microgravity research, manufacturing and commercial services as agencies and industry prepare for the ISS's 2030 retirement.

2026-01-06T09:42:51.328585-08:00

Commercial Space Stations to Begin Orbiting in 2026 — A New Era for the LEO Economy

NASA

Expedition 74 Prepares ISS Spacewalk to Install Roll‑Out Solar Arrays and Boost Power Expedition 74 crew are preparing for the first spacewalk of 2026 to ready the International Space Station for new roll‑out solar arrays that will boost station power. Planned EVAs and on‑board work include external installation tasks plus microgravity research, cargo packing and life‑support and communications maintenance.

2026-01-05T14:45:08.630321-08:00

Expedition 74 Prepares ISS Spacewalk to Install Roll‑Out Solar Arrays and Boost Power

SpaceNews.com

China completes first astronaut cave‑training mission in Chongqing ahead of lunar landing preparations China's astronaut corps completed its first cave‑training mission in Chongqing, a nearly month‑long exercise involving 28 astronauts and more than ten subjects — from environmental monitoring to cave mapping and simulations — run by the China Astronaut Research and Training Center to rehearse conditions relevant to future crewed lunar landings.

2026-01-05T05:33:00.007556-08:00

China completes first astronaut cave‑training mission in Chongqing ahead of lunar landing preparations

NASA

NASA schedules two January 2026 ISS spacewalks to prepare roll‑out solar array installation NASA will carry out two spacewalks from the International Space Station in January 2026 to prepare for the installation of a roll‑out solar array and complete additional external maintenance tasks. Agency experts will preview the planned EVAs in a public briefing ahead of the operations.

2026-01-02T09:13:13.945482-08:00

NASA schedules two January 2026 ISS spacewalks to prepare roll‑out solar array installation

Ars Technica

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Leak in Russian ISS segment stops after five years; NASA and Roscosmos keep probing cracks A leak in a Russian segment of the International Space Station that was observed intermittently over five years has stopped, NASA and Roscosmos said. Both agencies will continue monitoring and investigating previously reported cracks in the module to verify long‑term structural integrity and crew safety.

2026-01-02T08:02:53.916700-08:00

Leak in Russian ISS segment stops after five years; NASA and Roscosmos keep probing cracks

Universe Today

Model predicts how charged lunar dust sticks to — or bounces off — spacecraft Researchers have developed a mathematical model that predicts how electrically charged lunar dust particles behave during low-speed collisions with spacecraft, identifying the electrical and mechanical conditions that cause stubborn adhesion versus rebound. Findings clarify mechanisms behind dust contamination and inform mitigation, materials and design choices for sustained lunar missions.

2026-01-01T12:09:45.021647-08:00

Model predicts how charged lunar dust sticks to — or bounces off — spacecraft

Space.com

Scientists ready robotic explorers to work alongside humans on Mars Scientists are preparing robotic explorers to operate alongside humans on Mars, defining complementary roles and procedures to combine autonomous systems and crewed capabilities. As Ehlmann notes, 'It's not a question of robotic exploration or human exploration; it is an "and"—robotic and human exploration and how we do these best together.'

2025-12-31T14:03:10.377977-08:00

Scientists ready robotic explorers to work alongside humans on Mars

GeekWire

2026 preview: NASA crewed lunar flyby and Blue Origin lunar lander to take center stage In 2026 NASA plans a crewed lunar flyby that will send astronauts around the Moon while Blue Origin pursues a separate lunar-lander mission, putting government-led human exploration and private-sector lunar activity at the forefront of next year’s space calendar and launch manifest.

2025-12-31T08:44:47.554904-08:00

2026 preview: NASA crewed lunar flyby and Blue Origin lunar lander to take center stage

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Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News

Commercial Space Stations to Begin Orbiting in 2026 — A New Era for the LEO Economy

China completes first astronaut cave‑training mission in Chongqing ahead of lunar landing preparations

Leak in Russian ISS segment stops after five years; NASA and Roscosmos keep probing cracks

Model predicts how charged lunar dust sticks to — or bounces off — spacecraft

News Timeline