An independent encyclopedia of spaceflight
Space exploration, explained.
From Sputnik to Starship: the agencies, rockets, missions, and people taking humanity off Earth. Factual, sourced, and kept current.
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Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was the first crewed Moon landing. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked at Tranquility Base on July 20, 1969, while Michael Collins orbited above.
Artemis Program
Artemis is NASA's Moon-to-Mars campaign. Artemis II flew around the Moon in 2026; Artemis III will test landers before a planned 2028 landing.
SpaceX
SpaceX is an American spacecraft manufacturer and launch provider that builds Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Dragon, Starlink, and Starship, the largest rocket ever flown.
Starship
Starship is SpaceX's super heavy-lift rocket in flight testing, designed for full reuse, orbital refueling, Starlink launches, and lunar missions.
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Agencies & Companies
The organizations flying humanity's spacecraft, from national space agencies to commercial launch companies.
Rockets & Vehicles
Launch vehicles past and present: how they work, what they carry, and their flight records.
Missions & Programs
Crewed programs, robotic explorers, telescopes, and the stations that keep people living in orbit.
People
Astronauts, cosmonauts, engineers, and the figures who shaped spaceflight.
Concepts & Technology
The ideas behind spaceflight: orbital mechanics, reusable rockets, space debris, and more.
Destinations
The places we explore: the Moon, Mars, ocean moons, and the rest of the solar system.
2026 in space
- Jan 15Crew-11 returns early because of a crew member's medical concern
- Feb 2SpaceX acquires xAI in the biggest corporate merger on record
- Feb 12Ariane 64 debuts with 32 Amazon Leo satellites
- Feb 27NASA drops the Moon landing from Artemis III and moves it to Artemis IV
- Mar 24NASA pauses the Gateway station and turns to a lunar surface base
- Apr 1-10Artemis II flies the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972
- Apr 19Blue Origin reflies a New Glenn booster but strands its payload
- May 22Starship V3 debuts on Flight 12 with Raptor 3 engines
- May 28A static fire test destroys the next New Glenn and damages its only launch pad
- Jun 12SpaceX goes public on the Nasdaq in the largest IPO ever
- Jun 29Rocket Lab agrees to buy Iridium for about 8 billion dollars
- Jul 10China catches a Long March 10B booster in a net at sea
- Jul 14NASA and Roscosmos agree to fly the ISS through 2030
- Jul 24Starship deploys 20 production Starlink V3 satellites on Flight 13
- Aug 4SpaceX announces an NVIDIA partnership for the Starmind AI1 payload
- Aug 19Zhuque-3 lands its booster on legs, China's first commercial recovery
- Aug 23China postpones Chang'e 7 to 2027 hours before its launch window
- Aug 25SpaceX plans a 100 billion dollar Starship launch site in Louisiana
- Aug 30NASA's Roman Space Telescope launches on a Falcon Heavy
- Sep 28Starship reaches orbit for the first time on Flight 14
- Sep 30The FCC ends NEPA environmental reviews for the satellites it licenses
- Oct 1Google's first Project Suncatcher satellite takes its TPU chips to orbit
From the timeline
- October 1, 2026
- September 30, 2026
- September 28, 2026
- August 30, 2026