Busy launch year ahead for Space Coast as Artemis II, SpaceX missions loom

Busy launch year ahead for Space Coast as Artemis II mission looms

The Space Coast is preparing for another active year of launches, beginning with a SpaceX mission scheduled around midnight Sunday that will send additional satellites into orbit.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - The Space Coast is preparing for another active year of launches, beginning with a SpaceX mission scheduled around midnight Sunday that will send additional satellites into orbit.

The launch follows a record-breaking year in 2025, when more than 100 rockets lifted off from Florida. 

Looking Ahead:

Experts say 2026 could be even busier as more commercial space companies expand operations in Brevard County, bringing increased tourism and long-term jobs to the region.

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Among the most anticipated missions is NASA’s Artemis II flight, which could launch as early as February. The mission would send astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than five decades, marking a major milestone in the agency’s plan to return humans to deep space. The crew is expected to include American astronauts and a Canadian astronaut.

The Artemis II mission will come as NASA enters a period of leadership change. Jared Isaacman, appointed in late 2025 as NASA’s next administrator, has outlined goals that include establishing a sustained human presence on the moon, particularly near the lunar south pole, where water ice could be used to produce fuel, air and drinking water.

Space experts caution that those ambitions depend heavily on funding. Concerns remain that budget constraints could slow progress as the United States competes with China and other nations in an expanding global space race.

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Meanwhile, infrastructure development continues across the Space Coast. Construction projects are underway at Kennedy Space Center and nearby Space Force facilities to accommodate an increasing number of launches. Plans also call for continued work in 2026 on a Florida launch site for SpaceX’s Starship, the world’s largest rocket.

With more missions on the schedule and historic flights on the horizon, officials say 2026 is shaping up to be another pivotal year for America’s space program.