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Space.com • Josh Dinner

Return to the Moon in 2026: Artemis II and a crowded commercial lunar year

NASA’s Artemis II will return humans to the Moon in 2026, kick‑starting a year crowded with national and commercial lunar activity — including accelerated Chinese launch plans and heightened SpaceX involvement — that will reshape procurement, launch cadence and industrial priorities across the space sector.

2026-01-02T09:07:54.883664-08:00

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

European Spaceflight

ESA approves development of Denmark’s first lunar mission; launch targeted for 2029

2026-01-02T00:25:51.299307-08:00

NASA Spaceflight

SpaceX identifies Starship barge ahead of Starbase-to‑KSC transports

2026-01-01T14:36:41.718439-08:00

News Timeline

Space.com

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Return to the Moon in 2026: Artemis II and a crowded commercial lunar year NASA’s Artemis II will return humans to the Moon in 2026, kick‑starting a year crowded with national and commercial lunar activity — including accelerated Chinese launch plans and heightened SpaceX involvement — that will reshape procurement, launch cadence and industrial priorities across the space sector.

2026-01-02T09:07:54.883664-08:00

Return to the Moon in 2026: Artemis II and a crowded commercial lunar year

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

European Spaceflight

ESA approves development of Denmark’s first lunar mission; launch targeted for 2029 The European Space Agency has approved development of Denmark’s first mission to the Moon, allowing the programme to proceed under ESA oversight and enter initial development activities. ESA and Danish authorities currently target the mission’s launch for 2029, marking Denmark’s first planned lunar flight.

2026-01-02T00:25:51.299307-08:00

ESA approves development of Denmark’s first lunar mission; launch targeted for 2029

collectSPACE

Full‑size Saturn V projected onto Washington Monument to mark America’s 250th A full‑size image of the Saturn V moon rocket was projected onto the Washington Monument as part of Freedom 250’s "Illumination of America" to mark the United States' 250th anniversary. The towering projection placed the Apollo‑era booster at scale on the monument’s face.

2026-01-01T15:02:47.837421-08:00

Full‑size Saturn V projected onto Washington Monument to mark America’s 250th

NASA Spaceflight

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SpaceX identifies Starship barge ahead of Starbase-to‑KSC transports SpaceX has identified the barge that will support upcoming sea transports of Starship hardware from its Starbase facility to Kennedy Space Center, a logistical step tied to moving large stages and ground infrastructure between Texas and Florida as the program advances.

2026-01-01T14:36:41.718439-08:00

SpaceX identifies Starship barge ahead of Starbase-to‑KSC transports

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

Universe Today

Gaia detects planets in the act of forming — astrometric hints in 31 of 98 young systems ESA's Gaia has measured the tiny gravitational wobbles of unseen companions inside protoplanetary disks, revealing candidate planets, brown dwarfs and stellar companions in 31 of 98 young systems surveyed. The result shows astrometry can probe dust‑shrouded, embedded formation stages previously considered nearly unobservable.

2025-12-31T18:27:07.405407-08:00

Gaia detects planets in the act of forming — astrometric hints in 31 of 98 young systems

SpaceNews.com

Two September heliophysics launches move toward operations as an earlier mission struggles Two NASA heliophysics missions launched together in September are moving through commissioning and toward operational status after nominal early spacecraft checks, while a third mission launched earlier this year is contending with technical problems that keep it in extended troubleshooting and may delay its planned science observations.

2025-12-31T15:25:42.978250-08:00

Two September heliophysics launches move toward operations as an earlier mission struggles

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Return to the Moon in 2026: Artemis II and a crowded commercial lunar year

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

ESA approves development of Denmark’s first lunar mission; launch targeted for 2029

SpaceX identifies Starship barge ahead of Starbase-to‑KSC transports

News Timeline